Defects and inhomogeneities in Fe₃O₄(111) thin film growth on Pt(111)

Growth and surface termination of a Fe3O4(111) thin film on a Pt(111) surface were examined by a combination of low-energy electron microscopy, selected area low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and x-ray-induced photoemission electron microscopy. The film exhibits the predominance of one out of two possible rotational domains, independent of film thickness. The morphology strongly depends on preparation conditions, e.g., at high oxidation temperature FeO/Pt(111) domains are formed that prevent the closure of the thin film. Dynamical LEED analysis and spot-profile analysis LEED (SPA-LEED) show that the surface exposes ¼ monolayer of Fe over a close-packed oxygen layer only when the sample is subsequently annealed in ultrahigh vacuum at 900 K. In contrast, the as-prepared films grown by oxidation at 1000 K and subsequent cooling down in oxygen, additionally exhibit small FeOx agglomerates that rest upon the canonical surface termination. Their formation as a function of the various preparation conditions of the thin film is discussed