Europium adsorption on a tungsten surface with various degrees of oxidation

The kinetics of europium adsorption on a W(100) face with various degrees of oxidation were studied by thermal desorption and Auger electron spectroscopy. The spectrum of Eu atoms desorbed thermally from the W(100) face consists of three successively filling desorption phases whose desorption activation energy decreases from 3 to 2.1 eV with an increase in the surface coverage. The thermodesorption spectrum of Eu atoms from the W(100) face coated with a monatomic oxygen film contains five successively forming desorption phases, with the desorption activation energy increasing to 4 eV for the high-temperature phase. The oxidized W is reduced by europium, and the desorption of the W oxides is replaced by that of EuO. After a monolayer film has formed, the Eu film adsorbed on tungsten starts to grow in the form of three-dimensional crystallites. As the degree of W oxidation increases, the Eu film becomes less nonuniform, until a solid Eu film starts to grow on bulk W oxides and completely screens the tungsten Auger signal.