Sensitive detection of NMR for thin films

Abstract

NMR can provide valuable information about thin films, but its relatively low sensitivity allows data acquisition only from bulk samples. The sensitivity problem is circumvented by detection schemes with higher sensitivity and/or enhanced polarization. In most of these ingenious techniques, electrons play a central role through hyperfine interactions with the nuclei of interest or the conversion of the spin orientation to an electric charge. The state of the art in NMR is the control of a single nuclear spin state, the complete form of which is one of the ultimate goals of nanotechnology.