HYPERTHERMAL ATOMIC OXYGEN INTERACTION WITH HIGHLY ORIENTED PYROLYTIC GRAPHITE STUDIED BY SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

摘要

Atomic oxygen reaction with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite has been investigated using the laser breakdown type fast atomic oxygen beam facility. The graphite surface exposed to atomic oxygen was examined with scanning tunneling microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. The scanning tunneling microscopic images of the graphite surfaces after atomic oxygen exposure showed small protrusions, and Auger spectra of the surfaces indicated the presence of a few percent of oxygen content. The density of protrusions became higher with increasing atomic oxygen fluence. These results indicated that the hyperthermal atomic oxygen reacts randomly on the graphite surface even at room temperature. The reaction scheme is different from that of molecular oxygen with graphite at higher temperatures.