Soft-x-ray fluorescence study of buried silicides in antiferromagnetically coupled Fe/Si multilayers

Technical Report · Tue Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/603589· OSTI ID:603589

Carlisle, J. A.; Chaiken, A.; Michel, R. P. ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States); and others

Multilayer films made by alternate deposition of two materials play an important role in electronic and optical devices such as quantum-well lasers and x-ray mirrors. In addition, novel phenomena like giant magnetoresistance and dimensional crossover in superconductors have emerged from studies of multilayers. While sophisticated x-ray techniques are widely used to study the morphology of multilayer films, progress in studying the electronic structure has been slower. The short mean-free path of low-energy electrons severely limits the usefulness of photoemission and related electron free path of low-energy electrons severely limit spectroscopies for multilayer studies. Soft x-ray fluorescence (SXF) is a bulk-sensitive photon-in, photon-out method to study valence band electronic states. Near-edge x-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) measured with partial photon yield can give complementary bulk-sensitive information about unoccupied states. Both these methods are element-specific since the incident x-ray photons excite electrons from core levels. By combining NEXAFS and SXF measurements on buried layers in multilayers and comparing these spectra to data on appropriate reference compounds, it is possible to obtain a detailed picture of the electronic structure. Results are presented for a study of a Fe/Si multilayer system.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098; W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 603589
• Report Number(s): LBNL--39981; ON: DE97007345; CNN: Grant DMR-9017996; Grant DMR-9017997; Grant LEQSF (93-95)-03
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
IRON
LAYERS
MEASURING METHODS
SILICON
SOFT X RADIATION
THIN FILMS