Oxide formation on the CdTe 111/A 1=1/ surface

A CdTe 111.A 1=1.surface, prepared in situ by argon ion bombardment and annealing at 2508C., was oxidized at the pressure of 1=10y5–5=10y5 Torr of molecular oxygen excited by the hot filament of the ion gauge. The surface atomic structure was studied by low-energy electron diffraction LEED.. The surface chemical composition and the oxidation process were monitored by recording the energy position and shape of Te 3d, Cd 3d, O 1s and C 1s core level peaks by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The excess of Te on the clean CdTe 111.A 1=1.surface was detected. Then, the increase of oxygen bound on the surface was observed as a function of the gas exposure. Symptoms of selective oxidation of Te atoms on the surface and in subsurface region were revealed. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.