Syllabus
“Introduction to Surface Science"
Course topic
Introduction to Surface Science
Number of credits
3 ECTS
Course responsible
TAU
Course lecturer
Prof. Shachar Richter
Prerequisites
Basic course in College Chemistry and Physics
Learning outcomes
On Successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Identify basic concept in surface science including surface to volume ratio,
vacuum technology and relevant calculations, surface crystallography, relaxation
and reconstruction, electrical properties, and surface adsorption.
2. To choose appropriate surface science tool for given scientific problem
3. Critically read professional surface science scientific paper
Abstract
The goal of this short course is to introduce to the students the principles of surface physics
and chemistry.
Selected topics will include the followings:
Surface crystallography; reconstruction and relaxation; Energetics at surfaces; Electronic
properties of surfaces; Adsorption phenomena; Surface science analytical tools.
Content
1. Introduction
Surface definitions
Clean surfaces
Surface/volume concept
Vacuum technology
2. Crystal Surfaces
Introduction to crystallography
Symmetry in crystals
Surface planes
High index surfaces.
Surface relaxation and reconstruction
3. Electronic Properties
From atoms to crystals
Periodic functions- Bloch equations
Band bending, Fermi-level pinning
4. Surface Thermodynamics
5. Adsorption and Interfaces
Chemical and Physical adsorption
Self-assembly phenomena
Interfaces
6. Surface Science tools
Teaching methods
The course is presented in the Moodle learning environment in the form of HTML tutorials.
Assessment
Each student has to critically asses a scientific paper in surface science
Recommended Readings
Basic books in Surface science such as:
S, Roy Morrison; the Chemical Physics of Surfaces
F. Bechstedt: Principle of Surface Physics
K. Oura et al. Surface Science, An introduction