).The surfaces of perovskite oxides affect their functional properties, and while a bulk-truncated (1×1) termination is generally assumed, its existence and stability is controversial. Here, such a surface is created by cleaving the prototypical SrTiO3(001) in ultrahigh vacuum, and its response to thermal annealing is observed. Atomically resolved noncontact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) shows that intrinsic point defects on the as-cleaved surface migrate at temperatures above 200 °C. At 400 °C-500 °C, a disordered surface layer forms, albeit still with a (1×1) pattern in low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Purely TiO2-terminated surfaces, prepared by wet-chemical treatment, are also disordered despite their (1×1) periodicity in LEED.
Corresponding author: Martin Setvín (setvin).
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