XPD STUDY OF VANADIUM OXIDE FILMS GROWN ON THE SnO2(110) SURFACE

The oxide phases formed upon annealing at 800 K of ultrathin vanadium films deposited on the SnO2(110) surface have been investigated by XPD and other techniques. We found that the annealing in vacuum of vanadium layers results in the oxidation of the metal carried out by lattice oxygen diffusing from the bulk of SnO2. The vanadium oxide phase formed in this way is epitaxially oriented with respect to the substrate and is covered by disordered layers of tin oxide. The XPD results rule out the formation of V–Sn mixed oxides. The simulation of the experimental XPD curves with SSC calculations performed for various structural models indicates that the product of the oxidation is a VOx ≈ 2 phase with a structure close to that of the rutile VO2(110) surface.