Abstract
X-ray photoelectron (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron (UPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) spectra are presented from epitaxial, single-crystal transition-metal (TM) nitride (ScN, TiN, VN, and CrN) layers, that were grown in situ in an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) magnetron sputter deposition system attached to the analysis chambers. The samples are near-stoichiometric with N/Me ratios determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), and contain no bulk or surface impurities detectable by XPS, AES, or RBS. The spectra therefore represent reliable reference data. We also present XPS and AES data from sputter-etched samples in order to quantitatively determine the effect of preferential sputtering of nitrogen in TM nitrides. The sputter etching was performed under conditions typical for sputter cleaning of air-exposed samples until a steady state N/Me ratio is reached.
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