L. Zhou

Variable groove‐spaced grating monochromator for soft x‐ray emission spectroscopy at CAMD/LSU

A grazing incidence monochromator, equipped with a variable groove‐spaced plane grating, has been commissioned recently at the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, at Louisiana State University. This high‐throughput and moderate‐resolution monochromator is used as an excitation source for a soft x‐ray emission spectrometer.

Applications of soft x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy in materials science

Soft x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy provides an element and angular momentum selective measure of the valence band density of states in complex materials. Results are presented demonstrating the use of SXF both as a means of solving materials problems and as a means of increasing the fundamental understanding of low energy excitation processes in various types of materials. As examples of materials applications, the authors discuss the L spectra of Si in various environments, and describe radiation damage studies in Beryl. Fundamental new insights are provided by the study of SXF spectra excited near an x-ray threshold. For such excitation, recent work demonstrates that an electronic Raman scattering process can greatly modify the normal fluorescence spectrum. The authors discuss near threshold studies of graphite, h-BN and NiS to demonstrate that the nature of the electronic excitation processes differs dramatically in various classes of materials and provides important new insights into their properties.

Examples of soft X-ray emission and inelastic scattering excited by synchrotron radiation

Abstract This paper is a summary of some of the recent activities of our soft X-ray spectroscopy collaboration. We are using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy to probe the electronic properties of matter, emphasizing atoms in the bulk and at interfaces. In particular we have used incoherent photon excitation to obtain a basic understanding of the electronic properties of a wide variety of materials including Sr2RuO4, a new superconductor. In this first copperless perovskite superconductor, we confirmed in-plane oxygen–ruthenium bonding by analysis using calculations and soft X-ray emission spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy. In the case of the sulfides, the sulfur in FeCuS occupies a single site, and the sulfur in CuS forms dimers at two thirds of the sites. This behavior was confirmed by calculation and by measurement of soft X-ray emission spectra excited at different photon energies near the sulfur L2,3 absorption edge, and by core photoemission measurements. Measurements of this type illustrate the importance of combining SXE and PES measurements with theoretical calculations. The ubiquitous presence of Raman scattering near the 3d and 4d ionization thresholds has been used to elucidate the excitation process in a number of rare earth and transition metal compounds. Such scattering can produce dramatic changes in the emission spectrum that can further the basic understanding of the atomic excitation process in these compounds. Photon-in photon-out soft X-ray spectroscopy is adding a new dimension to soft X-ray spectroscopy by providing many opportunities for exciting research, especially at third generation synchrotron light sources.

Soft x-ray emission excited resonantly and nonresonantly by synchrotron radiation

This paper is a summary of some of the recent activities of our soft x-ray spectroscopy group. We are using soft x-ray emission spectroscopy to probe the electronic properties of matter, emphasizing atoms in the bulk and at interfaces. In particular we have used incoherent photon excitation to obtain a basic understanding of the electronic properties of a wide variety of materials such as yttrium oxide and titanium diboride, we have used the penetrating power of x-rays to study multilayers of silicon and iron and have shown that iron silicide is present in the silicon layer and provides evidence that in the antiferromagnetic Fe/Si multilayer system the FeSi2 layer is conducting rather than insulating. The ubiquitous presence of Raman scattering has been used to elucidate the electronic band structure of materials including graphite and hexagonal boron nitride. Such scattering can produce dramatic changes in the emission spectrum that can further the basic understanding of the electronic band structure. We...