Abstract
Chemical and electronic properties of ion beam synthesized Fe-Si binary structures are studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy binding energy analysis. Ferromagnetic Fe-Si (Fe3Si) binary structure formation is enhanced in the ion-beam synthesis process by applying an in situ external magnetic field parallel to the Si substrate during the Fe implantation. Core-level analysis shows features corresponding to chemical environments of different Fe-Si phases. Fe 2p3/2 and Fe 3s peaks were analyzed, considering peak position, symmetry, and splitting. The ferromagnetic Fe3Si phase shows a highly asymmetric 2p3/2 peak at 706.6 eV and peak splitting in the 3s peak due to the exchange interaction with unfilled 3d electrons in the valance band. In contrast, the Si core-level did not show any significant features leading to the identification of Fe-Si binary compounds. The Si 2p peak showed a constant 0.2 eV peak shift toward the high-energy side compared to the elemental Si. Further valance band spectra reveal distinct features to help identify the Fe3Si phase. In general, core and valance band features of Fe-Si binary compounds provided definitive information about Fe3Si phase identification and its electronic structure with direct evidence of the exchange interaction, which occurs between core levels, valance band, and the unfilled 3d shell.
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