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Al (110) surface oxide thermal stability in ultrahigh vacuum
Author(s) -
Cai Minzhen,
Outlaw Ronald A.,
Butler Sue M.,
Miller John R.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.5320
Subject(s) - auger electron spectroscopy , oxide , desorption , chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , thermal desorption , thermal desorption spectroscopy , oxygen , auger , dissolution , carbon fibers , thermal stability , spectroscopy , adsorption , materials science , atomic physics , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , composite number , nuclear physics , composite material
This research characterizes the stability of the Al 2 O 3 surface oxide on Al (110) as a function of temperature and within an ultrahigh vacuum environment ( p < 5 × 10 −12 Torr). Auger electron spectroscopy and temperature desorption spectroscopy were used to correlate the change in oxygen and carbon surface concentration. The surface oxide was observed to remain stable up to 350–400 °C. Above this temperature, the oxide began to dissociate resulting in a CO desorption peak at 425 °C followed by extensive dissolution of the C and O into the Al bulk. A second and much smaller CO desorption peak was observed at 590 °C in concert with complete oxide breakdown and the virtual disappearance of surface carbon and oxygen. Extrapolation of the Auger electron spectral ratios of C KLL and O KLL peaks to the sum of the Al 0 LVV and Al 3+ LVV peak suggests that the surface concentration of each approaches zero at ~640 °C. The predominant mechanism for reduction of the surface oxide occurs by dissolution into the bulk instead of desorption. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.