X-ray investigation of subsurface interstitial oxygen at Nb/oxide interfaces
We have investigated the dissolution of a natural oxide layer on a Nb(110) surface upon heating, combining x-ray reflectivity, grazing incidence diffuse scattering, and core-level spectroscopy. The natural oxide reduces after heating to 145 degrees C partially from Nb2O5 to NbO2, and an enrichment in subsurface interstitial oxygen by similar to 70% in a depth of 100 A is observed. After heating to