North-Holland surface science Auger electron spectroscopy study of the interface between bulk aluminum and bulk aluminum oxide

An extensive Auger electron spectroscopy study of the aluminum-aluminum oxide interface is presented, with the aim of identifying the behaviour of the contact zone between bulk metal and bulk oxide. Restored oxygen KLL and aluminum LW spectra have been derived and analysed as a function of the depth of a thick aluminum sample evaporated onto an aluminum oxide crystal. The capability of the Auger electron spectroscopy to derive rather unique information on the nature of the contact zone is used to infer that the metal and oxide form small isles or domains in the interface region, so that the transition from the metal to the oxide is not characterized by a sharp surface. The study of bulk metal-bulk metal oxide interfaces is extremely interesting because, apart from the obvious applicative importance of this sort of interfaces, the presence of a metal and a