Are oxygen, hydrogen or hydroxyl species left behind on the surface and can we probe their chemistry and structure etc. The structure of small water clusters and the nature of hydrogen bonding between water molecules has long been of fundamental interest to physical chemists. We are developing experimental and theoretical methods to determine the average size and distribution of sizes of water clusters in chemisorbed layers. From here we would like to be able to influence or control this cluster size distribution using co-adsorbed species such as alkali metals.
New research is directed to the study of interfaces in electroluminescent materials and devices.
These devices are constructed from several evaporate layers deposited onto glass substrates and can be used for any application where a bright, flat-panel display is required consuming minimal energy. The surface composition, structure and stoichiometry of the ITO layer must be determined to ensure reliable, long lasting devices. Modification of the surface using remote plasma will be studied by ion beam methods. Quantitative knowledge of the layer thickness is essential for reproducibility, and will be studied by Rutherford backscattering, NRA and other state of the art surface analytical techniques. The goal of this research is to understand and control the processes that are currently limiting the useful lifetime of these devices to a few thousand hours.