Surface morphology and chemical state of epitaxial Al2O3 film on Cu-9%Al(111) single crystal

We investigated the surface morphology, natures of chemical bond and thickness of oxide film grew on the Cu-9%Al (111) single crystal by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By introducing 1300L oxygen at 725degC, aluminum was oxidized and copper was not, and the epitaxial alumina film grew on the Cu-9%Al surface. The alumina surface showed two morphologies in SEM image. One was a flat surface with a few small defects, and the other was a rough surface which had smooth and rough regions. The rough surface was remarkably seen in sputtered region to obtain clean surface. The alumina film whose thickness was about 3.5 nm uniformly grew on the flat surface, and the thickness was about 3.0-3.5 nm on rough surface. It is concluded that the surface roughness in alumina is related to the roughness of clean surface. Therefore, to grow the uniform alumina film over large area of Cu-9%Al surface, it is essential to obtain the flat clean surface prior to oxidation. (author)