EFFECTS OF OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN ADSORPTION ON THE ELECTRON-ENERGY-LOSS FEATURES OF DIAMOND SURFACES

Electron energy loss spectroscopy has been used to study the surface of diamond and other states of carbon. Other authors have suggested that a loss feature observed at approximately 9 eV may be due to oxygen adsorption on the diamond surface. We report electron energy loss spectroscopy data, in combination with Auger electron spectroscopy data, that shows a correlation of a loss feature at 8.5 eV with adsorbed oxygen on diamond surfaces. Surfaces were oxygenated by low-energy oxygen ion bombardment and oxygen removed by annealing in vacuum and atomic hydrogen. The atomic hydrogen was used to suppress the pi loss feature by etching nondiamond carbon and passivating the diamond surface. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.