Principles of surface physics

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In recent decades, surface and interface physics has emerged as a vital subdiscipline within condensed matter physics, intersecting with crystallography, chemistry, biology, and materials science. Key drivers of this field's development include advancements in semiconductor technology, new materials, epitaxy, and chemical catalysis. The electrical and optical properties of semiconductor-based nanostructures are significantly influenced by interfaces. A microscopic understanding of growth processes necessitates investigating surface processes at the atomic level, where elementary actions like adsorption and desorption are crucial for grasping heterogeneous catalysis. Remarkable progress has been made in studying surfaces, particularly at a microscopic scale. This advancement is attributed to two main factors: the development of powerful new microscopes, such as scanning tunneling microscopy, which enables the observation of individual atoms and their movements with unprecedented clarity, and the theoretical progress stemming from the widespread availability and increased power of computers. These innovations have transformed our ability to analyze and understand surface phenomena in materials science.