Helium atom scattering investigations of surface structure evolution and vibrational dynamics during deposition of phosphine and tin on copper(001) surfaces

This dissertation presents a compilation of independent studies of surface processes, including phosphine adsorption on Cu (001) and the formation of Cu-P phases, low energy vibration of simple phosphorous trivalent molecules, and evolution of surface structures and effects of finite Si concentrations in the submonolayer Sn growth on Cu (001). Each of the projects has the goal of developing deeper understanding of the specific systems and has utilized high-resolution helium atom scattering. With this method both the structural changes (associated with chemical decomposition and/or alloying,) and the vibrational dynamics of surfaces have been investigated.