Low‐energy electron diffraction study of atomic structure of Sc–O/W(100) surface acting as Schottky emitter at high temperatures

Abstract

Abstract Low‐energy electron diffraction (LEED) was used to investigate the atomic structure of an Sc–O/W(100) surface acting as a Schottky emitter in order to elucidate a marked reduction in the work function of the Sc–O/W(100) Schottky emitter surface. The results of our LEED observation of the Sc–O/W(100) surface at room temperature revealed that a p(2 × 1) and p(1 × 2) double‐domain structure is formed on the surface. This reconstructed structure exhibited no changes when heated to 1400 K, and continued to remain stable even when held at 1400 K. These results strongly suggest that the p(2 × 1) and p(1 × 2) double‐domain structure is formed by scandium–oxygen electric dipoles on the W(100) surface, leading to a marked reduction in the work function of the Sc–O/W(100) surface at the operating temperature of the Sc–O/W(100) Schottky emitter. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.