A metastable de-excitation spectroscopy (MDS) study on oxygen adsorption on a polycrystalline zirconium surface

The adsorption of oxygen on a polycrystalline zirconium surface at room temperature has been studied by metastable de-excitation spectroscopy (MDS) in conjunction with UPS and AES. From the analysis of the measured spectra, we have shown the following. (1) At the initial stage of oxygen adsorption (exposure <1.2 L), the surface density of states (SDOS) of zirconium changes little at around the Fermi level (E_F), while it decreases appreciably at 1–2 eV below E_F (E_B=1–2 eV) by oxygen adsorption. (2) The SDOS at E_B=0–2 eV decreases with increasing oxygen exposure at >1.2 L and disappears at >8 L. (3) The oxygen 2p states (E_B=5–8 eV) are localized at the subsurface region at oxygen exposure 0–2 L. (4) The ZrO₂ phase appears at the outermost zirconium surface at around 2 L, then grows with increasing exposure, and finally dominates at >8 L. It is suggested that two different phases (ZrO₂ phase and that in which oxygen occupies subsurface sites) coexist at the outermost surface at 2–8 L.