Welcome to the Canvas information page for the course

Physics and Chemistry of Surfaces, 7.5 credits

given by the Department of Physics.

Please note: This page contains only general information about the course. It does not contain any course material. If you are a student on the course you have to log in to the Canvas portal in the site navigation to find the courses of your programme.

Content

The course aims at giving an introduction into surface science, which is concerned with the properties and the chemistry of surfaces and interfaces on an atomic length scale. Surfaces play a central role in a variety of modern technologies spanning from heterogenous catalysis to devices based on nano-structured materials. The surface physics course will offer a general introduction to the structural, electronic and vibrational properties of atoms and molecules at surfaces and interfaces from a mainly experimental viewpoint. Key topics include adsorption and growth of molecule and adatom layers, synchrotron based electron spectroscopies, Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) and the use of Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) to visualize individual atoms and molecules at surfaces.

The course starts with an introduction to surfaces and their fundamental importance in physics, chemistry, nanoscience and biology. The introduction is followed by a basic discussion of surface structure, adsorption, surface reactions, and crystal growth. In particular, it is discussed how the physics and chemistry of surfaces (and 2d gases at surfaces) can differ fundamentally from those of the surfaces' 3d equivalents.

In the remaining main part of the course, the experimental determination of surface structure, surfaces chemistry and surface is discussed and the following techniques are addressed:

scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM, AFM, MFM),
spectroscopy (AES, XPS),
diffraction (LEED, SXRD),
and microscopy techniques based on XPS, LEED, and SXRD.

General information

Course codes: FYST64 (Science faculty), EXTP95 (LTH), NAFY010 (PhD course)
Semester: spring
Study period: second
Level: second cycle
Language: English or Swedish
Forms of teaching: teaching sessions, lectures, project work, study visit to labs, e.g. MAX IV
Assessment: written and oral project reports and compulsory participation
Previous course code: FYST19

Syllabus

Click below links to view syllabi for the course.

FYST64 syllabus on lu.se (in English)
FYST64 syllabus on lu.se (in Swedish)
EXTP95 syllabus on lth.se
NAFY010 syllabus (pdf, 251 kB)

Course literature

Physics of Surfaces and Interfaces by Harald Ibach, ISBN-10 3-540-34709-7.
Surface Physics: An Introduction by Philip Hofmann, ISBN 978-87-996090-0-0.

Course responsible

Jan Knudsen, jan.knudsen@sljus.lu.se

Schedule

The latest schedule for the course can be found on the schedule software TimeEdit:

Entry requirements

SCIENCE FACULTY

Admission to the course requires 120 credits studies in natural sciences, of which 75 credits in physics and 45 credits in mathematics is included, alternatively a Bachelor degree in physics – in both cases including knowledge equivalent to FYSC23, Solid state physics, 7.5 credits, and English 6/B.

LTH

Assumed prior knowledge: FFFF05 Solid State Physics or FFFF01 Electronic Materials.

Application

SCIENCE FACULTY

You find the application details, course description and prerequisites for the course at Lund University's central web pages.

Please note that you might need to go to the Swedish website to see if the course is open for application. For non-Swedish speakers, please refer to below instructions in order to apply to the course via Antagning.se:
Instructions in English for applying to programmes and courses (pdf, 791 kB).

LTH

Apply for the course via Course application at LTH.

DOCTORAL STUDIES

Sign up for the course by contacting course responsible. (Remember that you need to have the course listed in your individual study plan, ISP, to have it counted towards your exam.)

Read more

All courses offered by the Department of Physics (on fysik.lu.se)
Degree project page on Canvas
Course evaluations
Canvas page for physics students

Do you have questions? Please contact us at studentadministration@fysik.lu.se