ZnO nanocrystals on SiO{sub 2}/Si surfaces thermally cleaned in ultrahigh vacuum and characterized using spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscopy

Journal Article · Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3372804· OSTI ID:22053689

Ericsson, Leif K. E.; Magnusson, Kjell O; Zakharov, Alexei A ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Karlstad University, Karlstad S-651 88 (Sweden)

Thermal cleaning in ultrahigh vacuum of ZnO nanocrystals distributed on SiO{sub 2}/Si surfaces has been studied using spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscopy (SPELEEM). This study thus concern weakly bound ZnO nanocrystals covering only 5%-10% of the substrate. Chemical properties, crystallinity, and distribution of nanocrystals are used to correlate images acquired with the different techniques showing excellent correspondence. The nanocrystals are shown to be clean enough after thermal cleaning at 650 deg. C to be imaged by LEEM and x-ray PEEM as well as chemically analyzed by site selective x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ({mu}-XPS). {mu}-XPS shows a sharp Zn 3d peak and resolve differences in O 1s states in oxides. The strong LEEM reflections together with the obtained chemical information indicates that the ZnO nanocrystals were thermally cleaned, but do not indicate any decomposition of the nanocrystals. {mu}-XPS was also used to determine the thickness of SiO{sub 2} on Si. This article is the first to our knowledge where the versatile technique SPELEEM has been used to characterize ZnO nanocrystals.

• OSTI ID: 22053689
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. A, International Journal Devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 28, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2010 American Vacuum Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1553-1813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
NANOSTRUCTURES
OXYGEN
PHOTOEMISSION
S STATES
SILICON
SILICON OXIDES
SURFACE CLEANING
SURFACES
THICKNESS
VACUUM COATING
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ZINC OXIDES