AFM and XPS study from surfaces of native oxide/Al-metal

We prepared Cu/native oxide/Al metal by sputtering Cu on as-grown and mechanical-polished surfaces of Al metals and investigated AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) and XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) from the surfaces of the specimens. From the results, we found that the surfaces of as-grown Al metals were oxidized by the exposure in air and were covered with thick Al-oxides, which were removed by polishing mechanically in air. In addition, it is not easy to study the native oxide layer, deteriorated layer, where the chemical bond natures of constituent elements on the surface change by Ar+ etching. However, we were able to measure the exact chemical bond natures and the composition by depositing thin film of Cu metal.