Growth of ultra-thin FeO(100) films on Ag(100): A combined XPS, LEED and CEMS study

The production and characterization of ultra-thin iron oxide films grown on an atomically clean Ag(100) surface by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is presented. The goal of this work was to prepare ultra-thin FeO(100) with excellent crystallographic quality. The films were prepared with high purity 57 Fe and O 2 and afterwards analyzed in situ by means of Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Conversion Electron Mossbauer Spectroscopy (CEMS). During preparation the evaporation rate, the O 2 partial pressure, film thickness and annealing procedures were varied. The analysis of the various samples showed that in general a mixture of FeO and Fe 3 O 4 phases is obtained. We determined the best conditions to produce the desired oxide (FeO). Besides the paramagnetic phase, the antiferromagnetic phase of the FeO films was characterized by low temperature Mossbauer spectra.