Oxidation Of Top Layer Research Articles

Stability and capping of magnetite ultra-thin films

Ultrathin films of Fe3O4 have been grown epitaxially on nearly lattice matched MgO(001). The stability of 4 nm thick films in ambient air and under annealing in an oxygen atmosphere at 200 °C has been studied. By magneto optical and Raman measurements, we can confirm the presence of the Fe3O4 phase and the formation of a maghemite top layer passivating the Fe3O4 thin film. In a second step, we are able to demonstrate that this top layer oxidation in ambient air can be prevented by a 2 nm thick magnesium ferrite passivation layer, while a thicker 20 nm MgO layer prevents oxidation even at elevated temperatures.

Mechanism of Layer-by-Layer Oxidation of Si(001) Surfaces by Two-Dimensional Oxide-Island Nucleation at SiO2/Si Interfaces

We have studied the mechanism of layer-by-layer oxidation of Si(001) surfaces. The layer-by-layer oxidation was confirmed and precisely monitored by scanning reflection electron microscopy (SREM). By combining SREM and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) methods, we investigated the change in atomic-scale roughness at SiO2/Si(001) interfaces during the oxidation. We found that, while the oxide interface is atomically flat after the oxidation of each layer is complete, nanometer-scale oxide islands with a single atomic height are densely nucleated at the interface during the oxidation of each layer. We also observed an oscillation in the intensity of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) spots during the top-layer oxidation. These results clearly indicate that the layer-by-layer oxidation proceeds by the nucleation of nanometer-scale oxide islands at the interfaces and by their preferential lateral island growth.