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The electronic structure and chemical bonding of ß-Ta synthesized as a thin 001-oriented film (space group P 21m) is investigated by 4f core level and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and compared to α-Ta bulk. For the b-phase, the 4f7/2 peak is located at 21.91 eV and with the 4f5/2 at 23.81 eV which is 0.16 eV higher compared to the corresponding 4f peaks of the a-Ta reference. We suggest that this chemical shift originates from higher resistivity and tensile strain in the ß-Ta film. Furthermore, the 5d-5s states at the bottom of the valence band are shifted by 0.75 eV towards higher binding energy in ß-Ta compared to α-Ta. This is a consequence of the lower number of nearest neighbors with four in ß-Ta compared to eight in the α-Ta phase. The difference in the electronic structures, spectral line shapes of the valence band and the energy positions of the Ta 4f, 5p core-levels of b-Ta versus a-Ta are discussed in relation to calculated states of ß-Ta and α-Ta. In particular, the lower number of states at the Fermi level of ß-Ta (0.557 states/eV/atom) versus α-Ta (1.032 states/eV/atom) that according to Mott's law should decrease the conductivity in metals and affect the stability by charge redistribution in the valence band. This is experimentally supported from resistivity measurements of the film yielding a value of ~170 µW cm in comparison to α-Ta bulk with a reported value of ~13.1 µW cm. ; Funding agencies: Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Advanced Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009-00971]; Swedish Energy Research [43606-1]; Carl Tryggers Foundation [CTS16:303, CTS14:310, CTS 17:166]; Knut and Alice Wallenber

Chemical state analysis in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) relies on assigning well-defined binding energy values to core level electrons originating from atoms in particular bonding configurations. Here, we present direct evidence for the violation of this paradigm. It is shown that the C 1s peak due to C-C/C-H bonded atoms from adventitious carbon (AdC) layers accumulating on Al and Au foils splits into two distinctly different contributions, as a result of vacuum level alignment at the AdC/foil interface. The phenomenon is observed while simultaneously recording the spectrum from two metal foils in electric contact with each other. This finding exposes fundamental problems with the reliability of reported XPS data as C 1s peak of AdC is routinely used for binding energy scale referencing. The use of adventitious carbon in XPS should thus be discontinued as it leads to nonsense results. Consequently, ISO and ASTM charge referencing guides need to be rewritten. ; Funding Agencies|Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation [KAW2016.0358]; Swedish Research Council VR Grant [2018-03957]; Swedish Energy AgencySwedish Energy Agency [51201-1]; VINNOVAVinnova [2019-04882]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse [CTS 17:166, CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant SFO-Mat-LiU) [2009-00971]

We report x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of native Ti target surface chemistry during magnetron sputtering in an Ar/N-2 atmosphere. To avoid air exposure, the target is capped immediately after sputtering with a few-nm-thick Al overlayers; hence, information about the chemical state of target elements as a function of N-2 partial pressure p(N2) is preserved. Contrary to previous reports, which assume stoichiometric TiN formation, we present direct evidence, based on core-level XPS spectra and TRIDYN simulations, that the target surface is covered by TiNx with x varying in a wide range, from 0.27 to 1.18, depending on p(N2). This has far-reaching consequences both for modelling of the reactive sputtering process and for everyday thin film growth where detailed knowledge of the target state is crucial. Published by AIP Publishing. ; Funding Agencies|German Research Foundation (DFG) [SFB-TR 87]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University (Faculty Grant) [SFO Mat LiU 2009 00971]; Aforsk Foundation [16-359]; Carl Tryggers Stiftelse [CTS 15:219, CTS 14:431]

The binary alloy of titanium-tungsten (TiW) is an established diffusion barrier in high-power semiconductor devices, owing to its ability to suppress the diffusion of copper from the metallization scheme into the surrounding silicon substructure. However, little is known about the response of TiW to high-temperature events or its behavior when exposed to air. Here, a combined soft and hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization approach is used to study the influence of post-deposition annealing and titanium concentration on the oxidation behavior of a 300 nm-thick TiW film. The combination of both XPS techniques allows for the assessment of the chemical state and elemental composition across the surface and bulk of the TiW layer. The findings show that in response to high-temperature annealing, titanium segregates out of the mixed metal system and upwardly migrates, accumulating at the TiW/air interface. Titanium shows remarkably rapid diffusion under relatively short annealing timescales, and the extent of titanium surface enrichment is increased through longer annealing periods or by increasing the bulk titanium concentration. Surface titanium enrichment enhances the extent of oxidation both at the surface and in the bulk of the alloy due to the strong gettering ability of titanium. Quantification of the soft x-ray photoelectron spectra highlights the formation of three tungsten oxidation environments, attributed to WO2, WO3, and a WO3 oxide coordinated with a titanium environment. This combinatorial characterization approach provides valuable insights into the thermal and oxidation stability of TiW alloys from two depth perspectives, aiding the development of future device technologies. ; C.K. acknowledges the support from the Department of Chemistry, UCL. N.K.F. acknowledges support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (No. EP/L015277/1). J.J.G.M. and S.M. acknowledge the support from the FusionCAT project (No. 001-P-001722) co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014–2020 with a grant of 50% of total cost eligible, the access to computational resources at MareNostrum and the technical support provided by BSC (No. RES-QS-2020-3-0026). L.E.R. acknowledges support from an EPSRC Early Career Research Fellowship (No. EP/P033253/1) and the Thomas Young Centre under Grant No. TYC-101. A.R. acknowledges the support from the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund for her CAMS-UK Fellowship. We acknowledge Diamond Light Source for time on Beamline I09 under Proposal No. SI19885-1. The authors would like to thank Dave McCue, I09 beamline technician, for his support of the experiments. ; Peer Reviewed ; "Article signat per 13 autors/es: C. Kalha, S. Bichelmaier, N. K. Fernando, J. V. Berens, P. K. Thakur, T.-L. Lee, J. J. Gutiérrez Moreno, S. Mohr, L. E. Ratcliff, M. Reisinger, J. Zechner, M. Nelhiebel, and A. Regoutz" ; Postprint (author's final draft)

Funding Information: The ALD cell is a result of collaboration between the University of Helsinki (Finland) and the MAX IV Laboratory and funded by the Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki and Academy of Finland (Grant No. 295696) under the operations collaboration agreement between Finland (FIMAX consortium) and the MAX IV Laboratory. Research conducted at MAX IV, a Swedish national user facility, is supported by the Swedish Research Council under Contract No. 2018-07152, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems under Contract No. 2018-04969, and Formas under Contract No. 2019-02496. M.P. acknowledges funding from the Academy of Finland by the profiling action on Matter and Materials (Grant No. 318913). M.R. acknowledges funding from the Academy of Finland (Grant No. 309552). J.S. acknowledges funding from Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council) under Grant No. 2017-03871. The authors thank the MAX IV staff and especially Mikko-Heikki Mikkelä and Jörgen Hellborg for help in the design, construction, and testing of the ALD cell. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). ; An ambient pressure cell is described for conducting synchrotron-based x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements during atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. The instrument is capable of true in situ and operando experiments in which it is possible to directly obtain elemental and chemical information from the sample surface using XPS as the deposition process is ongoing. The setup is based on the ambient pressure XPS technique, in which sample environments with high pressure (several mbar) can be created without compromising the ultrahigh vacuum requirements needed for the operation of the spectrometer and the synchrotron beamline. The setup is intended for chemical characterization of the surface intermediates during the initial stages of the deposition processes. The SPECIES beamline and the ALD cell provide a unique experimental platform for obtaining new information on the surface chemistry during ALD ...

The effect of the wet-cleaning process using solvents and detergent on the surface chemistry of MgO(001) substrate for film deposition was investigated. Six different wet-cleaning processes using solvent and detergent were compared. The effect on film growth was studied by the example system ScN. The surface chemistry of the cleaned surface was studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the film/substrate interface after film growth was investigated by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The surface composition is dependent on the wet-cleaning process. Sonication in a detergent before the solvents yield a pure oxide surface compared to hydroxide/carbonate contaminated surface for all the other processes. An annealing step is efficient for the removal of carbon contamination as well as most of the hydroxide or carbonates. The study of the film/substrate interface revealed that the wet-cleaning process significantly affects the final interface and film quality. The substrate cleaned with detergent followed by solvent cleaning exhibited the cleanest surface of the substrate before annealing, after annealing, in addition to the sharpest film/substrate interface. (C) 2017 American Vacuum Society. ; Funding Agencies|European Research Council under the European Communitys Seventh Framework Programme (FP) [335383]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through the Wallenberg Academy Fellows program; Swedish Research Council (VR) [6212012-4430]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) through the Future Research Leaders 5 program; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Link_oping University [2009-00971]

The electronic structure and chemical bonding in reactively magnetron sputtered ZrHx (x = 0.15, 0.30, 1.16)thin films with oxygen content as low as 0.2 at.% are investigated by 4d valence band, shallow 4p core-level,and 3d core-level x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. With increasing hydrogen content, we observe significantreduction of the 4d valence states close to the Fermi level as a result of redistribution of intensity toward the H1s–Zr 4d hybridization region at ∼6 eV below the Fermi level. For low hydrogen content (x = 0.15, 0.30), thefilms consist of a superposition of hexagonal closest-packed metal (α phase) and understoichiometric δ-ZrHx(CaF2-type structure) phases, while for x = 1.16, the films form single-phase ZrHx that largely resembles thatof stoichiometric δ-ZrH2 phase. We show that the cubic δ-ZrHx phase is metastable as thin film up to x = 1.16,while for higher H contents the structure is predicted to be tetragonally distorted. For the investigated ZrH1.16film, we find chemical shifts of 0.68 and 0.51 eV toward higher binding energies for the Zr 4p3/2 and 3d5/2peak positions, respectively. Compared to the Zr metal binding energies of 27.26 and 178.87 eV, this signifiesa charge transfer from Zr to H atoms. The change in the electronic structure, spectral line shapes, and chemicalshifts as a function of hydrogen content is discussed in relation to the charge transfer from Zr to H that affectsthe conductivity by charge redistribution in the valence band. ; Funding agencies: Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [2009-00971]; Swedish Energy Research [43606-1]; Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) through synergy grant FUNCASE [RMA11-0029]; Ca

This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in ACS Nano, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c01837 ; The on-surface synthesis of edge-functionalized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) is challenged by the stability of the functional groups throughout the thermal reaction steps of the synthetic pathway. Edge fluorination is a particularly critical case in which the interaction with the catalytic substrate and intermediate products can induce the complete cleavage of the otherwise strong C–F bonds before the formation of the GNR. Here, we demonstrate how a rational design of the precursor can stabilize the functional group, enabling the synthesis of edge-fluorinated GNRs. The survival of the functionalization is demonstrated by tracking the structural and chemical transformations occurring at each reaction step with complementary X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. In contrast to previous attempts, we find that the C–F bond survives the cyclodehydrogenation of the intermediate polymers, leaving a thermal window where GNRs withhold more than 80% of the fluorine atoms. We attribute this enhanced stability of the C–F bond to the particular structure of our precursor, which prevents the cleavage of the C–F bond by avoiding interaction with the residual hydrogen originated in the cyclodehydrogenation. This structural protection of the linking bond could be implemented in the synthesis of other sp2-functionalized GNRs ; C.M. was supported by the Agency for Management of University and Research grants (AGAUR) of the Catalan government through the FP7 framework program of the European Commission under Marie Curie COFUND action 600385 funded by the CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya. We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO (under Contracts Nos. MAT2016-78293-C6 ...

Tungsten (W) is an important and versatile transition metal and has a firm place at the heart of many technologies. A popular experimental technique for the characterization of tungsten and tungsten-based compounds is x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which enables the assessment of chemical states and electronic structure through the collection of core level and valence band spectra. However, in the case of tungsten metal, open questions remain regarding the origin, nature, and position of satellite features that are prominent in the photoelectron spectrum. These satellites are a fingerprint of the electronic structure of the material and have not been thoroughly investigated, at times leading to their misinterpretation. The present work combines high-resolution soft and hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SXPS and HAXPES) with reflected electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) and a multitiered ab initio theoretical approach, including density functional theory (DFT) and many-body perturbation theory (G0W0 and GW + C ), to disentangle the complex set of experimentally observed satellite features attributed to the generation of plasmons and interband transitions. This combined experiment-theory strategy is able to uncover previously undocumented satellite features, improving our understanding of their direct relationship to tungsten's electronic structure. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for future studies into tungsten-based mixed-metal systems and holds promise for the reassessment of the photoelectron spectra of other transition and post-transition metals, where similar questions regarding satellite features remain. ; CK acknowledges the support from the Department of Chemistry, UCL. NKF acknowledges support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L015277/1). AR acknowledges the support fromthe Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund for her CAMS-UK Fellowship. LER acknowledges support from an EPSRC Early Career Research Fellowship (EP/P033253/1). JL and JMK acknowledge funding from EPSRC under Grant No. EP/R002010/1 and from a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF/R/191004). This work used the ARCHER UK National Supercomputing Service via JL's membership of the HEC Materials Chemistry Consortium of UK, which is funded by EPSRC (EP/L000202). JJGM and SM acknowledge the support from the FusionCAT project (001-P-001722) cofinanced by the European Union Regional Development Fund within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014-2020 with a grant of 50% of total cost eligible, the access to computational resources at MareNostrum and the technical support provided by BSC (RES-QS-2020-3-0026). Part of this work was carried out using supercomputer resources provided under the EU-JA Broader Approach collaboration in the Computational Simulation Centre of International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC-CSC) ; Peer Reviewed ; "Article signat per 13 autors/es: C. Kalha, L. E. Ratcliff, J. J. Gutiérrez Moreno, S. Mohr, M. Mantsinen, N. K. Fernando, P. K. Thakur, T.-L. Lee, H.-H. Tseng, T. S. Nunney, J. M. Kahk, J. Lischner, and A. Regoutz" ; Postprint (author's final draft)

The C1s signal from ubiquitous carbon contamination on samples forming during air exposure, so called adventitious carbon (AdC) layers, is the most common binding energy (BE) reference in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies. We demonstrate here, by using a series of transition-metal nitride films with different AdC coverage, that the BE of the C1s peak E-B(F) varies by as much as 1.44 eV. This is a factor of 10 more than the typical resolvable difference between two chemical states of the same element, which makes BE referencing against the C1s peak highly unreliable. Surprisingly, we find that C1s shifts correlate to changes in sample work function phi(SA), such that the sum E-B(F) + phi(SA) is constant at 289.50 +/- 0.15 eV, irrespective of materials system and air exposure time, indicating vacuum level alignment. This discovery allows for significantly better accuracy of chemical state determination than offered by the conventional methods. Our findings are not specific to nitrides and likely apply to all systems in which charge transfer at the AdC/substrate interface is negligible. ; Funding Agencies|VINN Excellence Center Functional Nanoscale Materials (FunMat) [2005-02666]; Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University [SFO-Mat-LiU 2009-00971]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation [2011.0143]; Aforsk Foundation [16-359]