Samarium valence changes and reactive interdiffusion at the Si(111)-Sm interface

Synchrotron radiation photoemission studies show that the Si(111) 2×1-Sm interface has a complex morphology involving sequential formation stages with different Sm valence states. For metal coverages up to 2–3 Å, Sm atoms appear only in a divalent state. At higher coverages (up to 10–15 Å) the trivalent Sm configuration dominates and large chemical shifts of Si 2p and Sm 4f and 5p levels are observed. The Sm valence change is related to the onset of the reactive interdiffusion of Sm and Si.