title: Ultrahigh vacuum and low-temperature cleaning of oxide surfaces using a low-concentration ozone beam.
abstract: We present a novel method of delivering a low-concentration (<15%) ozone beam to an ultra-high vacuum environment for the purpose of cleaning and dosing experimental samples through oxidation processing. The system described is safe, low-cost, and practical and overcomes the limitations of ozone transport in the molecular flow environment of high or ultrahigh vacuum whilst circumventing the use of pure ozone gas which is potentially highly explosive. The effectiveness of this method in removing surface contamination is demonstrated through comparison of high-temperature annealing of a simple oxide (MgO) in ozone and oxygen environments as monitored using quadrupole mass spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. Additionally, we demonstrate the potential of ozone for obtaining clean complex oxide surfaces without the need for high-temperature annealing which may significantly alter surface structure.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: CNR - ISMN, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, v. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Graziosi
authors.affiliation: CNR - ISMN, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, v. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Harold Frank Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prezioso
authors.affiliation: CNR - ISMN, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati, v. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dediu
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamauchi