The book is aimed at assessing the capabilities of state-of-the-art optical techniques in elucidating the fundamental electronic and structural properties of semiconductor and metal surfaces, interfaces, thin layers, and layer structures, and assessing the usefulness of these techniques for optimization of high quality multilayer samples through feedback control during materials growth and processing. Particular emphasis is placed on the theory of non-linear optics and dynamical processes through the use of pump-probe techniques together with the search for new optical sources. Some new applications of Scanning Probe Microscopy to Material science and biological samples, dried and in vivo, with the use of different laser sources are also presented. Materials of special interest are silicon, semiconductor-metal interfaces, semiconductor and magnetic multi-layers and III-V compound semiconductors.Contents:Optical Spin Injection in Semiconductors (J L Cabellos et al.)Excited State Properties Calculations: Applications to Biological Systems (A Mosca Conte et al.)Norm Conserving Pseudopotentials for Iron with Semicore States (L Caramella et al.)Ab-Initio Study of Ethylene on Si(001) (M Marsili et al.)The Dynamic Structure Factor of Simple Metals: A Study of the Electronic Correlation in Solids (M Cazzaniga et al.)Overdamped Plasmon-LO Phonon Modes in Intentionally Disordered GaAs/AlGaAs Superlattices (A D Rodrigues et al.)Copper Phthalocyanine(CuPc) Growth on H-Si(111) and Metal Interface Formation Studied Using In Situ Raman Spectroscopy (P Schäfer et al.)From Becquerel to Nanotechnology: One Century of Decline of Scientific Dissemination, Publishing and Technology Transfer (G Margaritondo)The Simulation of the RAS Response of Sulphur on Cu(110) Using Effective Medium Theory (P D Lane et al.)Investigating the Adsorption of L-Cysteine Onto the Noble Metal (110) Surfaces Using Reflection Anisotropy Spectroscopy (G E Isted et al.)Characterization of Optical Properties of Semiconductors with Nanotips Structure (M Wakaki et al.)Discrete Wavelet Analysis Determines REsolution in Near-Field Optical Images (B Lanz et al.)Multilevel Data Storage at the Nanoscale Through Scanning Near Field Optical Microscopy (M Savoini)Fluorescence Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy Mapping of the Surface AMPA Receptors (B Lanz et al.)Readership: Students and researchers in the field of applied science.