The structure and dynamics of metal and polymer surfaces and thin films

The structure and dynamics of surfaces and thin films are currently the subject of much research due to their applicability to the modern electronic and materials industries. I have studied three systems in the surface and thin films topic areas: the surface and dynamics of oxygen-covered Cu(100), the surface morphology of polyimide films, and molecular alignment within cellulose ester films. The principle experimental techniques utilized were low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and infrared spectroscopy in both reflection and transmission modes.; On Cu(100), I studied one well-known and three novel surface phases involving oxygen, including phase change dynamics. Using LEEM, a relatively new and powerful tool for surface microscopy, I found these novel phases by exploring temperatures not previously studied in the literature for the oxygen on Cu(100) system. I also analyzed the motion of single atomic steps on a surface exhibiting one well-known oxygen on Cu(100) structure, which yielded information on the diffusion kinetics of that surface. I describe the LEEM instrument and explain how it works. I also give an overview of the facility at UC Davis that houses this instrument, together with other useful surface analysis tools.; I also investigated the effects of rubbing thin polyimide film surfaces with cloth, a common procedure used in industry in the creation of liquid crystal displays. Using an AFM, I was able to study, at both the micrometer and nanometer scale, tears in the film and the alignment of nanometer-scale islands produced by rubbing. I examined the effect of varying thickness, as well as preparation conditions, on these features.; Using infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, as well as infrared transmission spectroscopy, I was able to probe the molecular alignment within films of three cellulose esters. Since the modes of the cellulose molecule were not well-identified in the literature, I began this investigation by matching modes with the specific molecular vibrations which produce those resonances. I then used this information to discern the alignment of these molecules in the film, and the affect on that alignment of annealing.