Abstract
The oxidation of Mg(0001) was studied using LEED (Low Energy Electron Diffraction) and ESDIAD (Electron Stimulated Desorption Ion Angular Distributions) with supplemental information from STM (Scanning Tunneling Microscopy). In agreement with previous work, two kinds of oxide were observed: a sub-oxide consisting of subsurface oxygen and ionic MgO. From 0 to 8 L (Langmuir=1×10-6 Torr Sec) oxygen exposure, the 1×1 LEED pattern obtained for clean Mg(0001) becomes diffuse and almost disappears, indicating that the initial stages of oxidation lead to a disordering of the surface. At higher oxygen exposure (~12 L) a diffuse 1×1 returns, showing that this new growth is in registry with the Mg substrate. The ESD O + ion yield, which is initially near zero for substrate oxygen, increases dramatically at this point, indicating that the oxide is now on the surface. The desorbing O + forms a normal emission pattern in the ESDIAD experiment at still higher oxygen exposures.
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