Surface symmetry of monolayer titanium oxide on Mo(1Â 1Â 2) studied via fast atom diffraction

In studies on titanium oxide thin films we demonstrate the potential of Fast Atom Diffraction (FAD) and triangulation methods to derive the surface unit cell with enhanced surface sensitivity. Helium atoms with energies of 1-2 keV are scattered from the surface along low indexed surface directions under grazing angles of incidence. From the observed diffraction patterns, the lateral periodicity of the surface structures is derived. For low TiOx coverages a well-ordered c(2 × 4) superstructure and for higher coverage a p(8 × 2) film is observed. Based on FAD and triangulation methods for azimuthal rotation of the target the arrangement of topmost atoms in smaller sub-unit cells is revealed.