Solid-state shifts in the L3M4,5M4,5 Auger spectra of the elements Cu TO Se

The kinetic-energy shifts between atomic and solid-state L₃M_4,5M_4,5 Auger electron spectra of Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, and Se are determined with the aid of semiempirically calculated atomic and experimental solid-state Auger energies. The shift values are calculated by applying the thermochemical model to the Auger process. Good agreement is found between the calculated and experimental values.     

Vapour phase M4,5N4,5N4,5 Auger electron spectra of antimony and tellurium

High resolution M_4,5N_4,5N_4,5 Auger electron spectra from Sb₄ and Te₂ vapours have been measured using electron impact excitation. The spectra have been decomposed into line components and relative intensities and energies of the components are compared with calculated intensities and energies. The calculations have been done for these molecular samples using the free-atom calculation model involving initially filled shells. The calculations have been treated in the mixed coupling scheme using jj coupling for initial state and intermediate coupling for the final state. The experimental results agree well with the calculated values, indicating that the molecular effects on the relative intensities and energies are very small for these core level transitions. The clear molecular effects are found in the broadening of lines and in the kinetic energy shifts due to extra-atomic relaxation effects.     

M4,5N4,5N4,5 auger electron spectrum of Ba metal

The Al Kα excited M_4,5N_4,5N_4,5 Auger spectrum of Ba has been measured from the metallic sample evaporated on a Ag substrate. The spectrum has been decomposed into individual line components after the background subtraction. The decomposed spectrum has been compared with the theoretical spectrum calculated for the 4d^?2 final state configuration in the mixed coupling scheme applying jj-coupling for the initial state and intermediate coupling for the final state. The most prominent structure of the spectrum shows the two 4d-hole coupling, but the structure which is caused by the Auger transitions M_,45N_2,3V has also been observed. The screening of the core holes in Ba metal seems to be produced by (5d6s) electrons. The simple excited atom model HF-calculations give an Auger kinetic energy shift (metal-free atom) of 16.7 eV, which is comparable to the experimental value 14–18 eV.     

Quasi-atomic L-MM Auger spectra of solid Cu and Zn

Experimental L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 Auger spectra of metallic Cu and Zn show distinct characteristics of free-atom spectra but do not reflect the band structure. This quasi-atomic phenomenon in solids is tentatively explained as electron localization due to increased screening.     

Theory of spin-polarized Auger electron spectra in ferromagnetic materials with particular attention to L23M23M23 Auger spectrum in Fe83B17

Spin polarization of L₂₃M₂₃M₂₃ Auger electrons from ferromagnetic Fe₈₃B₁₇ is calculated with a simplified model, and compared with recent experiments. The Auger electron spectrum has two peaks, corresponding to the singlet and triplet final states of a 3p hole pair. It is shown that the spin polarizations of the singlet and triplet peaks, respectively, originate from the exchange interaction between 3d and 2p spins and that between 3d and 3p spins. Similar effects are expected to be observed commonly for L₂₃M₂₃M₂₃ Auger electrons from various ferromagnetic materials including transition elements.     

Auger electron spectroscopic measurements of ZnCl2-coal interaction

Two anolomous peaks in the ZnL₃M₂,₃M_4,5 Auger electron spectra of dried and heated samples of ZnCl₂-coal mixtures have been interpreted as indication of a Zn-coal bond formation. The peaks show a decrease from the normal 9.1 eV splitting for ZnCl₂ alone to 4.2 eV for ZnCl₂-coal mixtures. High volatile bituminous coals show this effect to a greater extent than either higher or lower rank coals. It is surmised that the side of this bond formation could coincide with the site of catalytic activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of coal in the presence of ZnCl₂.     

ESCA studies of Cu,Cu2O and CuO

Cu 2p, Cu 3d and O 1s electron spectra and Cu L₃M_4,5M_4,5 Auger electron spectra from Cu, Cu₂O and CuO have been studied at 25°C and at 400°C. The height of the Cu 2p satellite peaks from copper oxides was lowered when the temperature was raised. The intensity of the satellites also decreased if the sample stayed in vacuum for prolonged periods.Two commercial cuprous oxides were different with respect to the behaviour of the satellite peaks. One produced very weak satellites, while the other produced strong ones as previously reported in the literature for cuprous oxide. The colour of the oxides was slightly different, indicating that the stoichiometry was not the same.The change in satellite intensity is accompanied by changes in oxygen spectra, Cu L₃M_4,5 M_4,5 Auger spectra and valence band spectra.It is useful to study Auger electrons in addition to the direct electron spectrum, since Auger signals can be more sensitive to surface conditions than direct electron spectra.     

Many-electron effect in the Fe L3-M4,5M4,5 Auger electron spectrum of ultrathin Fe films grown on Cu(1 0 0)

D’Addato et al. [S. D’Addato, P. Luches, R. Gotter, L. Floreano, D. Cvetko, A. Morgante, A. Newton, D. Martin, P. Unsworth, P. Weightman, Surf. Rev. Lett. 9 (2002) 709] studied the variation with Fe coverages in the relative Fe L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) spectral satellite intensity of ultrathin Fe films grown on Cu(1 0 0) by sweeping photon excitation energy through the Fe L₂-level ionization threshold. They interpreted that the M_4,5 hole in the L₃M_4,5 double-hole state created by the L₂-L₃M_4,5 Coster–Kronig (CK) decay remains localized for longer than the L₃-hole lifetime for the 0.3 and 10 ML coverages but has a lifetime comparable to the L₃-hole lifetime for the 1 ML coverages. The present many-body theory shows that when the M_4,5 hole created either by the CK decay or by the L₃M_4,5 shakeoff hops away from the ionized atomic site and becomes completely screened out prior to the L₃-hole decay, the Fe L₂-L₃M_4,5-L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 AES main line as well as the Fe L₃ M_4,5 (satellite)-L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 one, both of which are identical in line shape to the Fe L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 one, dominate in the Fe CK preceded AES spectrum. The present analysis shows that the delocalization time of the M_4,5 hole created in the 1 ML Fe/Cu(1 0 0) system by the L₂-L₃M_4,5 CK decay is much shorter than the L₃-hole lifetime so that the Fe L₃-M_4,5M_4,5 AES spectral line shape hardly changes, except for the presence of a very weak spectator L₂-L₃M_4,5-M_4,5M_4,5M_4,5 AES satellite, when the photon excitation energy is swept through the Fe L₂-level ionization threshold. For the 0.3 ML coverages the M_4,5-hole delocalization time is still shorter than the L₃-hole lifetime.     

Energy parameter and the free-atom behavior of Auger spectra

The L₃M₄₅M₄₅ spectra of V and Cr do not exhibit free atom behavior, in sharp contrast to those of Cu and Zn. An energy difference parameter, Δ ?, derived entirely from observable energies, has been introduced to correlate with the extent of electron localization and free-atom behavior in Auger transitions.     

Solid state effects in the Auger spectrum of zinc and oxidised zinc

Measurements of the zinc L_2,3M_4,5M_4,5 Auger spectra are reported. The line shapes in solid zinc are similar to those in zinc vapour but the Auger energies have increased by about 15 eV and the line breadths have broadened from 0.5 eV to 1.0 eV fwhm. The ratio of the L₂:L₃ groups differ from the vapour suggesting that L₂L₃M_4,5 Coster-Kronig transitions occur in the solid but not in the vapour. Changes in the spectra with oxidation have been observed. The Auger lines broaden on oxidation and a line breadth of 3.2 eV fwhm gives the best fit to the spectrum of almost fully oxidised zinc. The oxide L₃M_4,5M_4,5¹G₄ peak progressively shifts from 2.6 eV to 4.2 eV below the metal peak as the oxide thickness increases, the latter value being close to the measured shift in crystalline zinc oxide. Similar energy variation is reported for solid Argon condensed onto clean silver and the shifts are explained in terms of variation in “extra electron relaxation” with film thickness.     

On the intensity ratio I(KL2,3L2,3)/I(KL1L1) of the auger carbon lines in series of d-metal carbides

C KVV Auger spectra have been obtained for series of nd-metal carbides (n = 3,4 and 5). The numbers of electrons participating in the C KVV Auger processes for these compounds are estimated by considering the intensity ratio I(KL_2,3L_2,3)/I(KL₁L₁). It is concluded that to explain the high intensities of the KL_2,3L_2,3 Auger lines for the d-metal carbides, it is necessary to consider the participation of conduction-band electrons (and/or interatomic transitions) in the C KVV Auger decay process.     

Many-body effects in l2mm auger electron spectra of Ge(CH3)4 excited by Mg Kα X-rays

The Ge:L₂MM Auger electron spectra excited by Mg Kα X-rays from Ge(CH₃)₄ free molecules have been compared with the corresponding spectra excited by Al Kα X-rays. The Al Kα excited spectra have characteristic features of the diagram Auger transitions, because the excitation energy is far above the L₂ ionization threshold. The energy of Mg Kα photons is 1.21 eV below the Ge:L₂ ionization threshold and thus the Mg Kα excited L₂MM Auger electron spectra indicate many-body effects, post collision interaction (PCI) effects and spectator Auger satellite structures. The L₂M_4,5M_4,5 type spectrum displays both these features but the L₂M_2,3M_4,5 type spectrum has only a spectator Auger satellite structure, because the (3p⁻¹3d⁻¹nl) final state interferes with the (3s) hole state.     

Interpretation of Auger satellites in Co,Ni, and Cu compounds

X-ray photoelectron spectra of the 2p levels of Co, Ni, and Cu compounds are examined concurrently with their L₃M_4,5M_4,5 Auger spectra. A correlation is established between the presence or absence of Auger satellites with the presence or absence of photoelectron shake-up satellites for Co and Ni compounds. The correlation is less clear for cupric compounds. We propose the mechanism of Auger shake-up as a plausible interpretation for the observed behavior of these Auger satellites.     

High resolution Auger electron spectroscopy of metallic copper

Part of the LMM Auger spectrum from metallic copper has been studied in a high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. Fine structure not earlier reported has been observed. The main L₃M_4,5M_4,5 peak is very narrow, 1.0 eV, although the valence band is involved in the transition. The agreement between experimental and calculated Auger electron energies is very good. Since fine structure is found to be an intrinsic property in Auger spectra the interpretation of “satellite” peaks as due to electron—plasmon interactions should be used with care. The L₃M_4,5M_4,5 peak is very sensitive to the copper surface conditions. Surface oxygen affects the peak in a characteristic way.     

Comparison of light rare earths N4,5-level soft X-ray and auger electron appearance-potential spectra

Appearance-potential Spectroscopy (APS) probes the binding energy of core levels and local conduction band states of atoms in the surface region. Soft X-ray APS (SXAPS) and Auger electron APS (AEAPS), respectively, measure the differential X-ray fluorescence and secondary electron yields as a function of incident electron energy. We have obtained the N_4,5-level SXAPS and AEAPS spectra of La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm metals. Both spectra exhibit multiplet structure below the expected 4d excitation threshold and a broad, 10–20 eV wide peak above the threshold followed by small peaks of decreasing intensity. The data are used to gain an understanding of the decay mechanism following the excitation of the core levels in these spectroscopies. The strong similarity observed between the SXAPS and AEAPS indicates that the characteristic emission and not the bremsstrahlung dominates the spectral lineshape in APS.     

Comparison of site-specific valence band densities of states determined from Auger spectra and XPS-determined valence band spectra in GeS (001) and GeSe (001)

Auger lineshapes of the Ge M₁M_4,5V and M₃M_4,5V and Se _M1M_4,5V transitions in GeS (001) and GeSe (001) are measured and compared to XPS valence band spectra. Distortions in both types of spectra due to inelastic scattering, analyzer and source broadening, and core level lifetime broadening are removed by deconvolution techniques. The valence band consists of three main peaks at ?2 eV, ?8 eV, and ?13 eV. There is excellent agreement of peak positions in AES and XPS spectra. The Auger lineshapes can be interpreted in terms of site-specific densities of states. They indicate that the states at ～?8 eV and at ～?13 eV are associated with the cation and anion sites respectively. The bonding p-like states at the top of the valence band have both cation and anion character. The Auger lineshapes indicate that the states closest to the valence band maximum are preferentially associated with Ge.     

Anomalous Auger-electron spectra of metallic calcium

A1Kα-excited L_{2, 3}MM and L_{2, 3}MV Auger-electron spectra of Ca have been measured in ultrahigh vacuum from a metallic sample evaporated onto an Ag substrate. An interpretation of the spectra is made by applying a line-fitting procedure. The lineshape and the solid-state—free-atom kinetic-energy shift are also studied. The extrinsic loss structure in the L_{2, 3}MM Auger-electron emission is found to be similar to that in 2p photoelectron emission. Spin—density-functional (SDF) calculations for the singularity index describing the intrinsic lineshape give a value of ～ 0.35 for both processes. Thus the experimental 2p_3/2 photoelectron line broadened from 1.2 to ～ 5 eV FWHM has been used as a standard line in the line fitting of the L_{2, 3}MM transitions. The term splitting of the L_{2, 3}M_{2, 3}M_{2, 3} transition is larger than in the corresponding free-atom spectrum. This result is also supported by the SDF calculations. The L_{2, 3}M_{2, 3}V spectrum is anomalously sharp, probably both because of the structure of the local density of states at the site of the core-ionized atom and because of differences in the transition probabilities into the different parts of the band. The experimental solid-state shift is 20.3 eV for the L_{2, 3}M_2,3M_{2, 3}:¹D transition, and the binding-energy shifts are 8.3 and 6.1 eV for the 2p and 3p levels, respectively. The SDF shifts for the above transitions are 19.9 (configurational average), 9.4 and 8.0 eV, consecutively, in agreement with the experimental values. The calculations also show a localized d-type (atomic-like) structure for the screening of the initial- and final-state core hole (s). This is the origin of the large values of both the singularity index and the solid-state shift.     

Electronic structures of MRhO2, MRh2O4, RhMO4 and Rh2MO6 on the basis of X-ray spectroscopy and ESCA data

X-ray O Kα, Rh Mγ and a series of M Lα emission spectra, ESCA spectra of the valence and inner levels, and O K and Rh M_III quantum-yield spectra for X-ray photoemission of the rhodium double oxides MRhO₂ (M = Li, Na, K), MRh₂ O₄ (M = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb), RhMO₄ (M = V, Nb, Ta) and Rh₂MO₆ (M = Mo, W) have been measured and the dependence of electronic structure on the metal M analysed. For all compounds the inner part of the valence band corresponds to O 2p_σ + O 2p_π + Rh 4d states, while the outer part corresponds to Rh 4d. The valence band is separated from the conduction band by a narrow gap of width less than 1 eV. The first empty band, near the bottom of the conduction band, is formed by Rh 4d states, followed by a band due to vacant O 2p states.     

ESCA studies of some copper and silver selenides

Photoelectron and Auger spectra have been obtained for the copper and silver selenides CuSe, Cu ₂Se, Ag ₂Se, and AgCuSe as well as from CuS, Ag ₂O, Ag ₂S, Cu, and Ag. Binding-energy values, chemical shifts, and peak-shapes are reported for the Cu 3 d, Ag 4 d and Se 3 p electrons. Absence of multiplet splitting and shake-up structure is discussed in relation to the magnetic properties. It is shown that chemical shifts are much better revealed in the Auger spectra (Cu L₃M_4,5M_{4, 5} and Ag M₅N_{4, 5}N_{4, 5}) than in the direct photoelectron ones. In addition the use of the Auger parameter to characterize the series under study is emphasized. Finally the valence-band spectra have been examined and the electronic structures are interpreted.