Structure of MgO/V/MgO(0 0 1) thin films studied by the combination of X-ray photoemission and ion beam analysis techniques

The structure of epitaxial 40 Å thick V(0 0 1) films grown at room and high temperature (723 K) in MgO/V/MgO(0 0 1) model heterostructures is studied in detail by means of X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and elastic recoil detection analysis. The resulting structures of samples grown at both temperatures is very similar, including the eventual contamination by hydrogen in the V layer, and only subtle modifications at the V/MgO(0 0 1) interface have been observed. These differences at the very first V layers grown on MgO(0 0 1) surface could infer in the growth of the subsequent V layers. The influence of the nature of the V oxides at the V/MgO(0 0 1) interface on the properties of the 40 Å thick V(0 0 1) films is discussed.