The surface structure of SnO2(110)(4 × 1) revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy

• Published in: Surface science Vol. 376; no. 1-3; pp. 367 - 373
• Main Authors: Jones, F.H., Dixon, R., Foord, J.S., Egdell, R.G., Pethica, J.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 10-04-1997; Amsterdam Elsevier Science; New York, NY
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Physics; Scanning tunneling microscopy; Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces; Surface structure; Surface structure and topography; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Tin oxide; Scanning tunneling microscopy; Tin oxide; Surface structure; Tin oxides; Surface reconstruction; Inorganic compounds; Experimental study; STM
• ISSN: 0039-6028; 1879-2758
• DOI: 10.1016/S0039-6028(96)01327-1

Conditions required to produce a (4 × 1) reconstruction on SnO2 (110) have been investigated and atomically resolved STM images of this surface have been obtained for the first time. Stable tunneling is most easily achieved at + 1.5 V sample bias. The (4 × 1) periodicity is well defined in these images. The greyscale contrast changes dramatically in images taken at + 1.0 V sample bias and structure within the unit cell is much better defined at the lower sample bias. The STM images are inconsistent with a model that has been proposed for the (4 × 1) surface which involves a coincident SnO overlayer, and an alternative model involving an ordered array of in-plane oxygen vacancies is proposed.