Abstract
High-density sintered MgB 2 surface was characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy in combination with sputter depth profiling. The compositional changes of the MgB 2 surface were investigated in real time during the course of Ar + ion sputtering. The as-polished MgB 2 surface was found to be Mg-rich and oxidized, especially near the grain boundaries. Therefore, careful protection of MgB 2 from ambient atmosphere is required for its practical applications. The composition of the sputtered MgB 2 subsurface was compared with that of the as-polished MgB 2 surface and found to be Mg deficient, especially on the top of crystallites. The detailed compositional analysis of the MgB 2 surface in this paper may help in elucidating the reported varied results obtained in surface-sensitive scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements.
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