2023-04-16

The Density of Aluminium Oxide During Oxidation

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Aluminium oxide is an aluminium compound that forms a protective layer on the surface of the metal. It can help to keep air and water from getting into the metal, which is why it is a popular choice for use in the manufacturing industry.

Density

During the oxidation process, oxygen atoms are continuously added to an aluminium substrate until a thick oxide layer has been formed. The incoming oxygen atoms are initially coordinated to the aluminium by electron spin orbital interaction. As the oxide layer grows, the stoichiometric ratio and coordination changes over time as new oxygen atoms are deposited.

Evolution of density and stoichiometry

The simulation shown in Figure 9 shows how the stoichiometric and coordination evolve during the oxidation of the surface. Oxygen atoms are first deposited to the aluminium substrate until the oxide layer reaches a thickness of 1.4 nm.

As the oxide layer is oxidised, it self-limits in the range of 5-10 A and subsequently becomes amorphous. It is therefore essential to optimise the oxidation process for device applications. In particular, the oxidation pressure used and the stoichiometric Al:O ratio can be investigated to obtain values which reflect the limiting thickness and morphology of the oxide barrier22,46.

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