Electronic-structure study of Ni 3Al, Ni 3Ga, Ni 3In, and NiGa using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and Bremsstrahlung isochromat spectroscopy

Abstract

The electronic structures of Ni 3Al, Ni 3Ga, Ni 3In, and NiGa were studied by high-resolution X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and Bremsstrahlung isochromat spectroscopy (BIS). The XPS valence-band and BIS spectra of Ni 3Al and Ni 3Ga agree well with available density-of-states (DOS) curves derived from band-structure calculations. The asymmetry index of the Ni 2p core levels decreases in the series Ni 3Al, Ni 3In, Ni 3Ga, and NiGa. This observation implies that the density of states at the Fermi level and the number of Ni 3d holes per Ni atom both decrease in the series.