An atomic scale STM study of the Fe3O4(001) surface

Despite the intensive investigation into the electronic properties of magnetite, fundamental issues related to the Verwey transition and the electronic transport mechanism are not fully understood. These issues are further complicated at the surface of magnetite crystals, due to the large number of possible surface terminations. The preparation procedure plays a fundamental role in determining the O/Fe ratio, and therefore the electronic properties of a magnetite crystal. We present a detailed investigation of the influence of the preparation conditions on the morphology of Fe3O4(001) single crystal surfaces using AES, LEED, and STM. We show that long anneals of single crystals in UHV cause segregation of contaminants to the surface and that a series of surface reconstructions is induced. A different preparation procedure gives rise to a clean surface exhibiting a (root2 x root2)R45degrees reconstruction. This surface is terminated at the octahedral plane and has been imaged down to the atomic scale. This provides a useful test system to study the Verwey transition at the surface. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.