AES and ELS study of titanium oxidation in high vacuum

In the present work, results of the interaction of O₂ with polycrystalline titanium using AES, and ELS techniques, are presented. Changes in the shapes of Ti(LMV) and Ti(LMM) transitions and in the Ti(LM)O(V)/Ti(LMV) and Ti(LMV) Ti(LMM) amplitude ratios as well as a shift of the 34 eV loss peak Ti(3p level], are studied as function of the oxygen exposure.At O₂ pressures equal or less than 10^–6 Pa and exposure up to 2000 L(O₂) (weak oxidation), the Ti(LM)O(V)/Ti(LMV) and Ti(LMV)/Ti(LMM) ratios show three clearly distinct regions: (i) up to 20L there is a chemisorbed phase with the Ti(LMV)/Ti(LMM) ratio remaining constant and a fast linear increase in the Ti(LM)O(V)/Ti(LMM) ratio. (ii) At exposures higher than 20L the oxidation begins being characterized by a linear variation of the Ti(LM)O(V)/Ti(LMV) and Ti(LMV)/Ti(LMV) ratios, with positive and negative slopes, respectively. (iii) At 125L there is a change in both slopes but no stable value is achieved, despite the O(KLL)/Ti(LMM) ratio remains constant. Hence, it can be concluded that TiO is the final oxide obtained after that treatment, from features like the shape of the transitions and a maximum shift of 3eV of the Ti(3p) level, complemented with ESD experiments.On the other hand, experiments at pressures higher than 10^–4Pa with or without the surfaces at 900K (strong oxidation) indicate that the most likely final oxide is TiO₂.Work presented to the IXIVC-VICSS. Madrid (1983)