Interpretation of auger energy shifts of silicon in solid silicon compounds

Chemical shifts of Auger transitions and photoelectron binding energies of silicon have been measured and interpreted using the quasi-atomic approach. The Si KL_2,3L_2,3 and L_2,3V₁V₁ Auger transitions and the binding energies of Si 2p and of the valence electrons at the maximum of the density of states V₁ have been investigated in solid silicon and in the compounds SiC, Si₃N₄, SiO₂, Na₂SiF₆ and T₃Si (T = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni). The relaxation-energy shift ΔR^ea_S(2p, 2p) describing the polarization effect (final-state effect) has been evaluated by AES and XPS measurements. Furthermore, the extra-atomic relaxation energy R^ea_D(2p) of the 2p electrons has been determined experimentally for silicon atoms in differing environments. This allows estimation of the potential parameter V(2p) describing the potential effect (initial-state effect). In general R^ea_D(2p) was found to be more sensitive to changes in chemical bonding than V2p). The behaviour of the quasi-atomic Si V₁ electrons seems to be the converse.