The interaction of oxygen and nitrogen with the niobium (100) surface: II. Reaction kinetics

Auger spectroscopy has been used to investigate the interactions of oxygen and nitrogen with both the (100) face niobium and with polycrystalline niobium. Sticking coefficients for both gases have been determined as a function of coverage. A temperature and concentration ependent segregation of oxygen at the surface has been observed even under conditions where the solid solubility of the bulk was not exceeded. A model to describe this segregation has been developed and extended to explain discrepancies in earlier investigations f the reaction of oxygen with niobium.