Grazing incidence fast atom diffraction: An innovative approach to surface structure analysis

Abstract

An alternative diffraction technique, based on grazing incidence scattering of high energy atoms, is applied to surface structure determination of crystalline surfaces. This technique, named GIFAD for grazing incidence fast atom diffraction, uses the same geometry as reflection high energy electron diffraction but is less invasive, more surface sensitive, and readily interpretable quantitatively. We present here a demonstration of this approach on a prototypical II–VI compound, ZnSe(001). Besides providing lattice parameter with high accuracy, we show that GIFAD gives straightforward access to the surface valence electron density profile, allowing clear identification of an electron transfer from Zn to Se.