Metastable oxygen adsorption on SiC(0 0 0 1)-√3×√3 R30°

Initial oxygen adsorption at different temperatures on the SiC(0 0 0 1)- √3×√3 R30° surface has been studied using photoemission. Oxygen exposures with the sample at 800 °C results in formation of stable oxides. However, after small exposures (0.1–10 L) with the sample at room temperature or cooled to ≈100 K additional structures appear in the O 1s spectrum that are identified to originate from metastable oxygen. Similar additional structures were recently revealed on Si(1 1 1)-7×7 and suggested to originate from adsorption of metastable molecular oxygen in an ins-paul configuration.