Thin Solid Films, Vol.400, No.1-2, 43-45, 2001
Thin film TiO2 on nickel(110): an STM study
Titanium oxide films grown on the surface of a Ni(110) single crystal have been investigated using STM, LEED and AES for Ti coverages ranging from 1 to 10 ml [1 ml of Ti is defined here as equivalent to the number of top layer Ni atoms of Ni(110)]. The oxide overlayers were prepared by vapour phase deposition of Ti followed by oxidation in 1 x 10(-7) mbar O-2 at 800 K. Oxidation of Ti coverages between 1 and 10 ML results in STM images indicating the presence of two terminations coexisting on the surface, One termination consists of islands of epitaxial rutile TiO2(110), the second having cell parameters of 2.98 +/- 0.1 x 3.15 +/- 0.2 Angstrom. The latter unit cell is consistent with TiO(001) (2.99 x 2.99 Angstrom (2)). On oxidation of higher Ti coverages (10 ml), only epitaxial rutile TiO2(110) islands are observed.
Keywords:growth;low index single crystal surfaces;scanning tunnelling microscopy;semiconducting films;titanium oxide