ELLIPSOMICROSCOPY FOR SURFACE IMAGING - A NOVEL TOOL TO INVESTIGATE SURFACE DYNAMICS

This article focuses on the technical issues of imaging of dynamic ads orbate pattern formation on platinum surfaces using laser light to ill uminate the area of interest. In particular, ellipsomicroscopy for sur face imaging (EMSI) is a powerful tool to follow spatio-temporal patte rns of adsorbate layers on catalyst surfaces at arbitrary pressures. T his novel method is uniquely sensitive to submonolayer coverages of ad sorbates. It expands the range of observable pressure conditions by ma ny orders of magnitude, thus bridging the pressure gap in imaging surf ace reactions. EMSI is a versatile technique that opens new avenues of potential applications to resolve dynamic surface processes, such as adsorbate diffusion or coating formation. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Soc iety.