Electronic structure and lattice dynamics of Li2Ni(WO4)2

We combined spectroscopic ellipsometry and Raman scattering measurements to explore the electronic structure and lattice dynamics in Li₂Ni(WO₄)₂. The optical absorption spectrum of Li₂Ni(WO₄)₂ measured at room temperature presents a direct optical band gap at 2.25 eV and two bands near 5.2 and 6.0 eV, which are attributed to charge-transfer transitions from oxygen 2p states to nickel 3d or tungsten 5p states. The Raman scattering spectrum of Li₂Ni(WO₄)₂ measured at room temperature presents seventeen phonon modes at approximately 112, 143, 193, 222, 267, 283, 312, 352, 387, 418, 451, 476, 554, 617, 754, 792, and 914 cm⁻¹. When the temperature is decreased to 20 K, the frequency, linewidth, and normalized intensity of all phonon modes exhibited almost no temperature dependence. Upon cooling across 13 K, which is the antiferromagnetic phase transition temperature, the oxygen octahedra stretching mode at 914 cm⁻¹ exhibited a softening and an increase in intensity, thus suggesting a coupling between the magnetic and lattice degrees of freedom. The spin-phonon coupling constant was estimated to be 0.94 mRy/Ų, indicating a weak spin-phonon interaction in Li₂Ni(WO₄)₂.     

H2O interaction with clean and oxygen precovered Ni(110)

The interaction of water vapour with clean as well as with oxygen precovered Ni(110) surfaces was studied at 150 and 273 K, using UPS, ΔΦ, TDS, and ELS. The He(I) (He(II)) excited UPS indicate a molecular adsorption of H₂O on Ni(110) at 150 K, showing three water-induced peaks at 6.5, 9.5 and 12.2 eV below E_F (6.8, 9.4 and 12.7 eV below E_F). The dramatic decrease of the Ni d-band intensity at higher exposures, as well as the course of the work function change, demonstrates the formation of H₂O multilayers (ice). The observed energy shift of all water-induced UPS peaks relative to the Fermi level (ΔE_max = 1.5 eVat 200 L) with increasing coverage is related to extra-atomic relaxation effects. The activation energies of desorption were estimated as 14.9 and 17.3 kcal/mole. From the ELS measurements we conclude a great sensitivity of H₂O for electron beam induced dissociation. At 273 K water adsorbs on Ni(110) only in the presence of oxygen, with two peaks at 5.7 and 9.3 eV below E_F (He(II)), being interpreted as due to hydroxyl species (OH)^δ? on the surface. A kinetic model for the H₂O adsorption on oxygen precovered Ni(110) surfaces is proposed, and verified by a simple Monte Carlo calculation leading to the same dependence of the maximum amount of adsorbed H₂O on the oxygen precoverage as revealed by work function measurements. On heating, some of the (OH)^δ? recombines and desorbs as H₂O at ? 320 K, leaving behind an oxygen covered Ni surface.     

A photoemission study of the interaction of Ni(100), (110) and (111) surfaces with oxygen

Photoelectron spectroscopic studies of the oxidation of Ni(111), Ni(100) and Ni(110) surfaces show that the oxidation process proceeds at 295 and 485 K in two distinct steps: a fast dissociative chemisorption of oxygen followed by oxide nucleation and lateral oxide growth to a limiting coverage of 3 NiO layers. The oxygen concentration in the 295 K saturated oxygen layer on Ni(111) was confirmed by ¹⁶O(d,p) ¹⁷O nuclear microanalysis. At 295 and 485 K the oxide growth rates are in the order Ni(110) > Ni(111) > Ni(100). At 77 K the oxygen uptake proceeds at the same rate on all three surfaces and shows a continually decreasing sticking coefficient to saturation at ~2.1 layers (based upon NiO). An O 1sb.e. = 529.7 eV is associated with NiO, and O ls b.e.'s of ~531.5 and 531.3 eV can be associated, respectively, with defect oxide (Ni₂O₃) or (in the presence of H₂O) with an NiO(H) species. The binding energies (Ni 2p, O 1s) of this NiO(H) species are similar to those for Ni(OH)₂. Defect oxides are produced by oxidation at 485 K, or by oxidation of damaged films (e.g. from Ar⁺ sputtering) and evaporated films. Wet oxidation (or exposure to air) of clean nickel surfaces and oxides, and exposure of thick oxide to hydrogen at high temperature results in an O 1s b.e. ~531.3 eV species. Nuclear microanalysis ²H(³He,p) ⁴He indicates the presence of protonated species in the latter samples. Oxidation at 77 K yields O 1s b.e.'s of 529.7 and ~531 eV; the nature of the high b.e. species is not known. Both clean and oxidised nickel surfaces show a low reactivity towards H₂O; clean nickel surfaces are ~10³ times less reactive to H₂O than to oxygen.     

Low-field mobilities of rare-earth metals

The KLL Auger spectrum of Ni generated in the electron capture decay of radioactive ⁶⁴Cu in a solid state matrix was measured for the first time using a combined electrostatic electron spectrometer adjusted to a 7 eV instrumental resolution. Energies and relative intensities of the all nine basic spectrum components were determined and compared with data obtained from X-ray induced spectra of metallic Ni and with theoretical results as well. Absolute energy of 6562.5 ± 1.3 eV (related to the Fermi level) measured for the dominant KL₂L₃(¹D₂) than a value obtained from the X-ray induced spectra which is probably caused by the effects of chemical bonding and physico-chemical environment. Moreover, it is higher by 20.4 eV (16??) than a prediction of the semi-empirical calculations by Larkins which indicates an influence of the ??atomic structure effect?? on absolute energies of the Auger transitions following the electron capture decay and, possibly, some imperfections in the calculations. Good agreement of the measured and predicted KL₁L₂(³P₀/¹P₁) transition intensity ratios indicates perceptible influence of the relativistic effects on the KLL Auger spectrum even at Z = 28.     

A study of the adsorption of oxygen on Ni(111) using auger electron spectroscopy: Chemical shifts and valence spectra

Auger electron spectra have been recorded when oxygen is adsorbed on a Ni(111) single crystal surface. For the coverage range θ < 1, an analysis of the plot of the peak to peak height (H) of the oxygen KVV (516 eV) transition versus the total number of molecules cm^2? impinging on the surface (molecular beam dosing) shows agreement with the kinetic mechanism proposed by Morgan and King [Surface Sci. 23 (1970) 259] for the adsorption of oxygen on polycrystalline nickel films. In this coverage range, no energy shifts of the nickel or oxygen Auger peaks were recorded.At coverages θ > 1 (standard dosing procedure) shifts in the valence spectra M_{2, 3}VV (61 eV) and L₃M_{2, 3}V (782 eV) of ?2.3 eV and ?1.8eV respectively are recorded at 1.4 × 10^?2 torr-sec. Up to these coverages no shift of the L₃VV transition (849 eV) is observed. A chemical shift of ?2.1 eV is recorded in the L₃M_{2, 3}M_{2, 3} Auger transition (716 eV) at 1.4 × 10^?2 torr-sec.In the coverage range θ > 1, shifts in the energy of the oxygen Auger peaks are observed. At 5.8 × 10^?3 torr-sec. the KVV (516 eV) and KL₁V (495.2 ± 0.3 eV) transitions show shifts of ?1.5 eV and ?(1.0 ±0.3) eV respectively. No shift up to this coverage is recorded in the KL₁L₁ (480.6 ± 0.3 eV) transition.     

Interaction of H2O with a clean and oxygen precovered Ni(110) surface studied by XPS

The adsorption and reaction of H₂O on clean and oxygen precovered Ni(110) surfaces was studied by XPS from 100 to 520 K. At low temperature (T<150 K), a multilayer adsorption of H₂O on the clean surface with nearly constant sticking coefficient was observed. The O 1s binding energy shifted with coverage from 533.5 to 534.4 eV. H₂O adsorption on an oxygen precovered Ni(110) surface in the temperature range from 150 to 300 K leads to an O 1s double peak with maxima at 531.0 and 532.6 eV for T=150 K (530.8 and 532.8 eV at 300 K), proposed to be due to hydrogen bonded O_ads… HOH species on the surface. For T>350 K, only one sharp peak at 530.0 eV binding energy was detected, due to a dissociation of H₂O into O_ads and H₂. The s-shaped O 1s intensity-exposure curves are discussed on the basis of an autocatalytic process with a temperature dependent precursor state.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies of nickel-oxygen surfaces using oxygen and argon ion-bombardment

We have studied the surface chemistry of the nickel-oxygen system using both temperature changes and ion bombardment as techniques for elucidating the surface structure. The spectra of metallic Ni, NiO and Ni₂O₃ were characterized from samples prepared directly in the spectrometer. The Ni₂O₃ species could be distinguished from an authentic Ni(OH)₂ sample from both the X-ray photoelectron lines and the Auger transitions. The oxides of NiO and Ni₂O₃ could be prepared by bombardment with low energy (400eV) O₂⁺ ions as well as by exposure of Ni to oxygen at reduced pressure (～ 100 torr). The Ni₂O₃ was found to be present on most nickel-oxygen surfaces except those prepared by exposing Ni to air for many hours at high temperature (> 600°C), indicating that the stability of Ni₂O₃ decreased as the temperature increased. Exposure of both NiO and Ni₂O₃ to 400 eV Ar⁺ ion bombardment caused reduction to metallic Ni. This observation has also been noted for several other oxides and a prediction of whether or not reduction should be observed is presented by examining the free energy of formation of the molecule.     

Effects of adsorbates on the formation of doubly excited He atoms during impact of He2+ ions on Fe(110) and Ni(110) surfaces

The formation of doubly excited states of He atoms during collisions of He²⁺ ions with projectile energies between 74 eV and 124 eV with an Fe(110) and a Ni(110) surface is studied via Auger electron spectroscopy. We observe that the electron spectra from autoionization of doubly excited states of 2s², 2s2p, 2p² configurations show a pronounced dependence on the coverage with oxygen for both surfaces. For a controlled O₂ adsorption on the Fe(110) and Ni(110) surfaces we can explain the resulting changes in the electron spectra by the modification of the measured work functions of the target surfaces. In terms of thermal desorption and dissolution into the bulk of surface contaminations at elevated temperatures, we present an alternative interpretation of similar previous studies by another group, where the local electron spin polarization of Fe(110) and Ni(110) surfaces was deduced from changes in the electron spectra as function of target temperature.     

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy study of oxygen chemisorption and initial oxidation of Fe(110)

The initial stages of the interaction of oxygen with an Fe(110) surface have been studied at 300 K by electron energy-loss spectroscopy with in-situ combined low energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy and work-function change measurement. From all the results, four different stages of the oxygen interaction are distinguished: (I) a first dissociative chemisorption up to 3 L, characterized by the c(2×2)-O structure, (II) a second dissociative chemisorption between 3 and 7 L, characterized by the c(3×1)-O structure, (III) incorporation of O adatoms into the selvage between 7 and 30 L, and (IV) oxidation above 30 L leading to the formation of FeO(111), characterized by the diffuse hexagonal diffraction pattern. The sticking probability was found to be initially near unity and fall off rapidly to a minimum value of ≈0.05 at ≈1 L. Particular emphasis was placed upon the investigation of the change in surface electronic properties from those characteristic of them metal to those of the oxide. In stage (I) an energy-loss peak, being attributed to the transition from the 2p orbital of the chemisorbed oxygen, was observed at 6.0 eV, while in stage (II) two additional peaks of the same origin appeared at 7.5 and 9.3 eV due to the formation of the O 2p band. The energy-loss spectrum in the oxide phase was characterized by the peaks at 4.8 and 7.5 eV due to the O²⁻ 2p → Fe²⁺3d charge-transfer transitions and by a peak at 2.4 eV due to the ligand-field d → d transitions of an Fe²⁺ ion in FeO. It is shown that the Fe 3d_yz,zx and 4sp electrons play a major role in the chemisorption bond (O adatoms located in the long-bridge site), and that for the incorporation process the Fe 3d_y² electrons are also involved in bonding by the symmetry breaking. The change in the Fe 3p-excitation spectrum during oxidation was also investigated. The differences between the experimental results on Fe(100) and (110) surfaces are summarized.     

Oxygen chemisorption and initial oxidation of Cr(110)

The initial stages of the interaction of oxygen with a Cr(110) surface have been investigated at 300 K by LEED, AES, electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS), secondary electron emission spectroscopy (SES) and work-function change measurement (Δφ). In the exposure region up to 2 L, the clean-surface ELS peaks due to interband transition weakened and then disappeared, while the ～5.8 and 10 eV loss peaks attributed to the O 2p → Cr 3d transitions appeared, accompanied with a work-function increase (Δφ = +0.19 eV at2L). In the region 2–6 L the work function decreased to below the original clean-surface value (Δφ_min = ?0.24 eV at6L), and five additional ELS peaks were observed at ～2, 4, 11, 20 and 32 eV: the 2 and 4 eV peaks are ascribed to the ligand-field d → d transitions of a Cr³⁺ ion, the 11 eV peak to the O 2p → Cr 4s transition, the 20 eV peak to the Cr 3d → 4p transition of a Cr³⁺ ion and the 32 eV peak probably to the Cr 3d → 4f transition. A new SES peak at 6.1 eV, being attributed to the final state for t he 11 eV ELS peak, was observed at above 3 L and identified as due to the unfilled Cr 4s state caused by charge transfer from Cr to oxygen sites in this region. In the region 6–15 L the work function increased again (Δφ_max = +0.32 eV at15 L), the 33 and 46 eV Auger peaks due to respectively the M_2,3(Cr)L_2,3(O)L_2,3(O) cross transition and the M_2,3VV transition of the oxide appeared and the 26 eV ELS peak due to the O 2s → Cr 4s transition was also observed. Above 10 L, the ELS spectra were found to be practically the same as that of Cr₂O₃. Finally, above 15 L, the work function decreased slowly (Δφ = +0.13 eV at40L). From these results, the oxygen interaction with a Cr(110) surface can be classified into four different stages: (1) dissociative chemisorption stage up to 2 L, (2) incorporation of O adatoms into the Cr selvedge between 2–6 L, (3) rapid oxidation between 6–15 L leading to the formation of thin Cr₂O₃ film, and (4) slow thickening of Cr₂O₃ above 15 L. The change in the Cr 3p excitation spectrum during oxidation was also investigated. The oxide growth can be interpreted on the basis of a modified coupled current approach of low-temperature oxidation of metals.     

ELS study on initial oxidation of Ni(100) surfaces

Electron energy loss spectra of clean and oxygen-covered Ni(100) surfaces were observed with concomitant measurements of LEED, work function change, and Auger peak height ratio O(KL_{2, 3}L_{2, 3})/Ni(L_{2, 3}VV). The observed electronic transitions are interpreted on the basis of primary election energy dependence, and of comparison with the loss spectrum for a UHV-cleaved NiO(100) surface and optical data of Ni. The observed loss peaks at 9.1, 14, and 19 eV in the clean surface spectrum are ascribed to the bulk plasmon of the 4s electrons, the surface plasmon, and the bulk plasmon of the coupled 3d + 4s electrons, respectively, and the weak but sharp peak at 33 eV is tentatively attributed to the localized many-body effect in the final state. Three oxygen-derived peaks at 6.0, 8.0, and 10.3 eV in the low oxygen exposure region (?4 L) are ascribed to the O 2p(e) → Ni 3d, O 2p(a₁) → Ni 3d, and O 2p → Ni 4s transitions, respectively. In the high oxygen exposure region (?50 L), the spectra become quite similar to that of the UHV-cleaved NiO(100) surface. The oxidation process consistent with LEED, Auger peak height ratio and work function change measurements is discussed.     

Unoccupied electronic states on Ni(100) induced by A c(2 × 2) oxygen overlayer

Bremsstrahlung isochromat spectra at hω₀ = 9.7 eV for electrons normally incident on a clean Ni(100) surface are compared to emission from Ni(100) with an ordered c(2 × 2) oxygen overlayer. We observe strong emission due to adsorbate induced antibonding electronic states near E_F and a simultaneous attenuation of previously identified direct bulk interband transitions. The results are in accord with theoretical predictions.     

Formation of doubly excited He atoms during scattering of He ions from a clean and oxygen covered Ni(1 1 0) surface

The formation of doubly excited states of He atoms during collisions of He²⁺ ions with energies between 60 eV and 1 keV with a Ni(1 1 0) surface is studied via Auger electron spectroscopy. We observe that the electron spectra from autoionization of doubly excited states of 2s², 2s2p, 2p² configurations show a pronounced dependence on the coverage of the target surface with oxygen. For a controlled O₂ adsorption on the Ni(1 1 0) surface we can explain the resulting changes in the electron spectra by the modification of the work function of the target surface. Thermal desorption and dissolution into the bulk of surface contaminations at elevated temperatures provides an alternative interpretation of recent work where the local electron spin polarization of a Ni(1 1 0) surface was deduced from changes in the electron spectra as function of target temperature.     

Electroreflectance observation of localized and itinerant electron states in NiO

We have observed electroreflectance spectra in NiO at 6 eV which we believe represent transitions from the oxygen 2_p derived valence band to the nickel 4s derived conduction band. We also observe the spectrum seen earlier by McNatt near 4 eV but interpret it differently in terms of transitions from the localized 3d⁸ state to the 4s band. These interpretations are consistent with the recent model of Adler and Feinleib.     

Photoemission study of oxygen chemisorption on tin

Photoemission measurements have been made at photon energies from 5–12 eV and at 21.2 eV on evaporated Sn films and the same films with varying room temperature exposure to oxygen. For hν ? 9 eV the quantum yield for Sn with exposures of as much as 4000 L oxygen (1 L = 1 Langmuir = 10^?6 Torr sec) differs only slightly from the clean metal. For hν ? 9 eV no change in yield is observed with oxygen exposure. The energy distribution of photoemitted electron (EDC's) from Sn with increasing exposure to oxygen above ? 20 L are characterized by the growth of two peaks which were not present in the EDC's for the clean metal, located 2.9 ± 0.1 eV and 4.8 ± 0.1 eV below the Fermi level. We associate this structure with the presence of SnO₂. No sharp resonance which could be associated with adsorbed oxygen was seen. Uniformly reduced emission from metallic Sn states and a Fermi level as sharp as for the clean metal is observed in the EDC's at all oxygen exposures. In addition, no change in work function with oxygen exposure was detected. The effects of oxygen saturate for exposures ? 4000 L. We suggest that under the conditions used in this experiment, the oxygen penetrates beneath the surface forming SnO₂ and leaving metallic Sn on the surface.     

Evidence for exciton binding at Ni impurity sites in ZnSe

A broad charge transfer band is observed in the photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectrum of the 2.5 μ Ni²⁺ luminescence in ZnSe : Ni. This band lies above the highest energy d-d excitation bands and exhibits a ZPL at 1.8163 eV and LO(#38;0lambda;) phonon replicas at higher energy. In contrast, PLE spectra of Co²⁺ luminescence in ZnSe:Co contain only d-d excitation bands. The charge transfer band in ZnSe:Ni is interpreted as evidence for bound exciton formation at the Ni site. The recombination energy of this exciton is transferred efficiently to the excited d-band states of the Ni ion, leading to characteristic Ni²⁺d-d luminescence.     

SiO2 surface defect centers studied by AES

A theoretical model is proposed on how a Si dangling bond associated with an oxygen vacancy on a SiO₂ surface (E_s′ center) should be observed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The Auger electron distribution N_A(E) for the L₂₃VV transition band is calculated for a stoichiometric SiO₂ surface, and for a SiO_x surface containing Si-(e^?O₃) coordinations. The latter is characterized by an additional L₂₃VD transition band, where D is the energy level of the unpaired electron e^?. The theoretical N_A(E) spectra are compared with experimental N(E) spectra for a pristine, and for an electron radiation damaged quartz surface. Agreement with the theoretical model is obtained if D is assumed to lie ≈2 eV below the conduction band edge. This result shows that AES is uniquely useful in revealing the absolute energy level of localized, occupied surface defect states. As the L₂₃VD transition band (main peak at 86 eV) cannot unambiguously be distinguished from a SiSi₄ coordination L₂₃VV spectrum (main peak at 88 eV), supporting evidence is presented as to why we exclude a SiSi₄ coordination for our particular experimental example. Application of the Si-(e^?O₃) model to the interpretation of SiO₂Si interface Auger spectra is also discussed.     

An ellipsometric and magneto-optical study of cobalt ferrite single crystals

Spectroscopic ellipsometry and the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect (1.5<hv<5.5 eV) have been used to study the properties of a cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄) single crystal, grown from the flux. The magnitude of the polar Kerr rotation both in-field and in remanence were used to study the polishing action and subsequent etching. For the (111) face studied here essentially the same dielectric functions were obtained as for Fe₃O₄.The polar Kerr rotation spectrum shows extrema at 1.8,2.1,3.5,3.9 and 5.1 eV. The latter two occur also in YIG and have been assigned to charge transfers from oxygen to Fe³⁺ on octahedral and tetrahedral sites respectively.     

Unravelling the effect of Ni doping on the structural,optical and dielectric properties of nanocrystalline SnO2

Nanocrystalline pristine and Ni doped (x= 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) SnO₂ samples are synthesized via sol-gel process. An extensive microstructure, optical and dielectric studies are performed through several analytical techniques. Analysis of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) data through Rietveld refinement confirms tetragonal crystal structure with P4₂/mnm space group for all the samples without any impurity or secondary phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images exhibit smooth surface morphology with agglomeration of the particles and energy dispersive x-ray spectra (EDS) confirm elemental composition of the samples. The average crystallite/particles size of the samples is found to increase for 5% Ni doped SnO₂ but reduces on further increase in the Ni content. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra show vibrational modes of the functional groups present in the samples. UV-visible absorption spectra indicate a red shift on Ni doping in SnO_2, ascribed to the trapping of excitons by the oxygen vacancies and thereby creating extra energy states within the bandgap. The band gap is found to diminish from 3.81 eV for pristine SnO₂ to 3.57 eV for the sample with 15% Ni concentration. Frequency dependent dielectric measurements at room temperature reveal higher values of the dielectric constant at lower frequencies that can be described on the basis of Maxwell-Wagner theory. The results demonstrate that the oxygen vacancies play a crucial role and concentration of Ni has strong influence on the microstructure, optical and dielectric behaviour of SnO₂.     

Species formed at cuprite fracture surfaces; observation of O 1s surface core level shift

Surfaces of mineral cuprite prepared by fracture under UHV have been characterised by synchrotron XPS and near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy before and after exposure to ambient air. Before exposure of the cuprite, the Cu 2p photoelectron and Cu L_2,3-edge absorption spectra were consistent with Cu^I with very little d⁹ character. Surface-enhanced O 1s spectra from the unexposed mineral revealed a surface species, with binding energy 0.95 ± 0.05 eV below the principal cuprous oxide peak, assigned to under-coordinated oxygen. A second surface species, with binding energy about 1 eV higher than the principal peak, was assigned to either hydroxyl derived from chemisorbed water vapour or surface oxygen dimers produced by restructuring of the cuprite fracture surface. The width of the principal O 1s peak was 0.66 ± 0.02 eV. The observed Cu L₃- and O K-edge absorption spectra were in good agreement with those simulated for the cuprite structure. After exposure of the fracture surface to ambient air, the low binding energy O 1s surface species was barely discernible, the original high binding energy O 1s surface species remained of comparable intensity, new intensity appeared at an even higher (∼1.9 eV) binding energy, and the Cu L_2,3-edge spectrum indicated the presence of Cu^II, consistent with the formation of a thin surface layer of Cu(OH)₂.