OXIDATION OF COPPER STUDIED BY ELECTRON-SCATTERING TECHNIQUES

The oxidation of thin single-crystal (100) and (111) films of copper at pressures of around 10-5 Torr and temperatures of 400 to 700°C has been observed by medium-energy electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, scanning and conventional microscopy using diffracted electron beams in the reflection mode, transmission electron microscopy, and transmission electron diffraction. Epitaxed nuclei of oxide are observed to grow into very thin single-crystal plates, using oxygen previously trapped in the copper film. There is considerable diffusion of the copper film. There is considerable diffusion of the copper away from the oxide. Between the oxide crystallites the copper surfaces appear to be unoxidized. A mottled contrast of the diffracted beam images of the copper surface is shown to result from many-beam dynamical diffraction effects. © 1979 Plenum Publishing Corporation.