Adsorption of sulfur on heated (10(1)over-bar-0) Re

High-resolution Auger electron spectroscopy is used to study the adsorption of sulfur on a (10(1) over bar 0) Re surface and to determine the regions of thermal stability of the resulting adsorption states. The formation of s urface sulfide is observed and its stoichiometry, Re2S, and the absolute su lfur concentration on the rhenium surface N-S = (6.0 +/- 1) x 10(14) atom/c m(2) are determined. It is shown that the surface sulfide is destroyed by t hermal desorption of sulfur from the rhenium surface and the desorption act ivation energy is estimated as E-d = (3.3 +/- 0.2) eV for a coverage close to the surface sulfide and E-d = (4.9 +/- 0.2) eV in the limit theta --> 0. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7850(99)02607-5].