Oxidation kinetics of transition metals exposed to molecular and atomic oxygen

In this work we analyze the oxidation of 30 nm polycrystalline transition metals films (Hf, Ta, Mo and Ru) at low temperatures (298 K to 473 K) upon the exposure to two different species: molecular oxygen and atomic oxygen. Using in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and in-vacuum X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we verify the oxide growth kinetics and the final stoichiometry after each exposure condition for the four metals, and explore the...