The possibility of measuring the spin polarization of electrons from the top atom layer of solid surfaces

This paper describes the technique that use an electron beam to measure the electron spin-polarization in the top atomic layer of of solid surfaces, and focuses on reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). We first describe the history of electron spin-polarization and the theory behind such polarization. Finally, we describe methods used to measure the spin-polarization of electrons from a limited number of atom layers on surfaces, focusing on the current status of our development of the RHEED-Mott spin detector hybrid method.