Abstract
A series of successive observations of structures, formed on a clean Fe (001) surface kept at various temperatures up to 300°C during continuous O2 exposure, was made by LEED and AES. With the oxygen-coverage equivalent to about a monolayer, the p(1×1)–O was confirmed. After exposure of 20∼60 Langmuirs, a new LEED pattern appeared and others followed it consecutively with increasing exposure, all of which have yet been unreported and could now be correlated to the structures preceded Fe3O4. Spinel-typed layers of Fe3O4 (001) were formed on the bulk Fe crystal with a slight misfit at the later stages of oxidation.