This investigation on the surface modification of glassy carbon (GC) by radio-frequency (13.56MHz) glow discharge plasmas of inert gases (Ne, Ar and Xe) was conducted with the objective of investigating the effects of plasmas on GC surfaces and the mechanism of the variation with elapsed time of the GC surfaces after the plasma treatment. The contact angles of water to the GC surfaces after the plasma treatment were measured and their change with elapsed time were investigated. Furthermore, the GC surfaces treated by plasmas were analyzed by ESCA and observed by SEM. Also, Raman spectra on the GC surfaces after the plasma treatment were measured. From these results, the following conclusions can be drawn.
The contact angles to the GC surfaces vary with the treatment of Ne (to 34°), Ar (to 15°) and Xe (to 9°) plasma from the contact angle to the untreated GC surface (90°). However, the contact angles are increased from 34° to 70° in the case of Ne plasma treatment, and are increased in the case of Ar (from 15° to 52°) and Xe (from 9° to 35°) plasma treatment in air at room temperature for 24 hours. The values of 0/C on the GC surfaces treated by Ne, Ar and Xe plasma increase. The half-widths of the Raman band at 1360cm^-1 on the treated GC surfaces also increase. In the case that the discharge conditions are the same, effects of the modification become greater with increasing mass of the used gas.
These findings suggest that effects of the inert gas plasma are mainly the formation of the active radical by the ion bombardment and the secession of the surface atoms by the sputtering, and the changes with elapsed time in the contact angles to the GC surfaces after the inert gas plasma treatment would be induced mainly by the decrease in the number of active radicals.

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The growth processes and the atomic structure of Pd ultra-thin films vapor deposited on the substrate metals (W, Mo, Ta, Nb), and a hydrogen interaction with the Pd monolayer film were investigated by a field ion microscope (FIM) with atomically high resolution. The Pd monolayer on the substrate metals exhibits a pseudomorphic structure which has an atomic arrangement identical to the substrate and is strongly bound with the substrate metal atoms. The desorption field strengths of the pseudomorphic Pd monolayer on W (011), Mo (011), Ta (011) and Nb (011) planes were measured. The fields depend strongly on the evaporation fields of the substrate metals and are higher than the evaporation field of Pd. In the growth of the Pd films, the two different Pd structures are observed. The observed structures are the Pd overlayer grown with the Pd inherent atomic structure and the stable pseudomorphic Pd underneath. Hydrogen interactions with the pseudomorphic Pd monolayer grown on W (011) and Mo (011) planes were also studied.

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We have carried out detailed investigations on preparation of distilled ozone and rubidium beam flux, and on their influence on an ultra-high-vacuum growth chamber for Ba_xRb_1-xBiO₃ thin film deposition by molecular beam epitaxy using distilled ozone. Distilled ozone and stable rubidium-beam-flux can be successfully prepared for use in deposition of high-quality Ba_xRb_1-xBiO₃ film by molecular beam epitaxy. Relatively stable rubidium-beam-flux can be obtained by continuous slow heating of Rb₂O up to 500-600°C prior to the use of Rb₂O in the growth chamber. Large amounts of outgassing products such as hydrogen and nitrogen were found to be emitted from barium and rubidium sources, respectively. It is revealed that distilled ozone and rubidium had no severely bad influence on the ultra-high-vacuum system.

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