Abstract
One of the ultimate goals of surface science is to be able to design surfaces with particular catalytic reactivity. This entails a need for an atomic-level understanding of the fundamental principles (elementary processes) underlying the bond-making and bond-breaking at surfaces. It is expected that the orientation of an incoming molecule on the surface may play an important role in such elementary processes. We have been developing ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) oriented-molecular-beam machines in order to investigate for the initial molecular-orientation effects of an incoming molecule on the surface chemical processes. Oriented molecular beams demonstrate the possibility for controlling surface chemical reactions by varying the orientation of the incident molecules. The steric effects found on Si surfaces hint at new ways of material fabrication on Si surfaces.
