Investigation of surface metal oxide formed in 10-4 torr oxygen by neutron reflectometry

Neutron reflectometry is a developing method and is applied for the investigation of the surface distribution of various materials including polymers and metals. In the present study, we investigated the surface distribution of metal oxide formed in 10-4 Torr oxygen. The sample was evaporated on float-glass or Si wafer substrates by vacuum evaporation. Since the sample was fabricated by 20 times repetition of evaporation and oxidization, oxidized metal distributes periodically. In the neutron reflectivity curve, Bragg peaks owing to the periodicity of the oxidized metal are obviously found. Analyzing the reflectivity curve gives us the distribution of the oxidized metal. (author)