Understanding the composition and structure of complex surfaces is essential for many scientific questions, from understanding processes in surface corrosion to the development of organic electronic devices. X-ray Spectromicroscopy provides surface sensitive chemical speciation with high lateral spatial resolution, by combining the chemical sensitivity of X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy with the high spatial resolution of X-ray microscopy. This presentation will discuss x-ray spectromicroscopy studies to study phase segregation in mixed Langmuir Blodgett thin films as well as efforts to develop a new zone-plate based surface sensitive spectromicroscopy.

 

1.) We have used surface sensitive X-ray Photoelectron Emission Microscopy (X-PEEM) to study the mechanisms of phase separation and growth in mixed Langmuir Blodgett thin films.[1,2] Here, the chemical sensitivity of x-ray absorption spectroscopy provides spatially resolved composition information to complement the morphology information provided by AFM.

2.) We are developing of a new form of new surface sensitive x-ray microscopy, based on electron-yield detection in a scanning zone plate microscope. Preliminary results from the development of this new method will be presented.

 

References:

1.) Christensen et al., J. Electron Spectrosc. and Rel. Phenom. (2008) 162, 107-114.

2.) S.E. Qaqish, Langmuir (2009) 25, 7401-7409.

Research supported by NSERC (Canada) and performed at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and the Advanced Light Source (ALS). The CLS is supported by NSERC, NRC, CIHR, U. Saskatchewan, and the ALS s supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.