  The interface and electronic structure of thin (~20-74 nm) Co3O4(110)
epitaxial films grown by oxygen-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on MgAl2O4(110)
single crystal substrates have been investigated by means of real and
reciprocal space techniques. As-grown film surfaces are found to be relatively
disordered and exhibit an oblique low energy electron diffraction (LEED)
pattern associated with the O-rich CoO2 bulk termination of the (110) surface.
Interface and bulk film structure are found to improve significantly with
post-growth annealing at 820 K in air and display sharp rectangular LEED
patterns, suggesting a surface stoichiometry of the alternative Co2O2 bulk
termination of the (110) surface. Non-contact atomic force microscopy
demonstrates the presence of wide terraces separated by atomic steps in the
annealed films that are not present in the as-grown structures; the step height
of ~ 2.7 A corresponds to two atomic layers and confirms a single termination
for the annealed films, consistent with the LEED results. A model of the (1 *
1) surfaces that allows for compensation of the polar surfaces is presented.
