Valence-band spectroscopy

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) is a variety of photoelectron spectroscopy that is aimed at measuring the valence band, as described in sectionBl.25.2.3. Valence band spectroscopy is best perfonned with photon energies in the range of 20-50 eV. A He discharge lamp, which can produce 21.2 or 40.8 eV photons, is commonly used as the excitation source m the laboratory, or UPS can be perfonned with synchrotron radiation. Note that UPS is sometimes just referred to as photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), or simply valence band photoemission. 

In addition to the stoichiometry of the anodic oxide the knowledge about electronic and band structure properties is of importance for the understanding of electrochemical reactions and in situ optical data. As has been described above, valence band spectroscopy, preferably performed using UPS, provides information about the distribution of the density of electronic states close to the Fermi level and about the position of the valence band with respect to the Fermi level in the case of semiconductors. The UPS data for an anodic oxide film on a gold electrode in Fig. 17 clearly proves the semiconducting properties of the oxide with a band gap of roughly 1.6 eV (assuming n-type behaviour). 

In order to understand the observed shift in oxidation potentials and the stabilization mechanism two possible explanations were forwarded by Kotz and Stucki [83], Either a direct electronic interaction of the two oxide components via formation of a common 4-band, involving possible charge transfer, gives rise to an electrode with new homogeneous properties or an indirect interaction between Ru and Ir sites and the electrolyte phase via surface dipoles creates improved surface properties. These two models will certainly be difficult to distinguish. As is demonstrated in Fig. 25, XPS valence band spectroscopy could give some evidence for the formation of a common 4-band in the mixed oxides prepared by reactive sputtering [83],... 

Valence Band Spectroscopy. Optical and electronic properties of UPD metal flms on metal electrodes have been studied in situ by means of differential- and electroreflectance spectroscopy [98], Optical absorption bands, however, reflect a combined density of electronic states at a photon energy which is the energetic difference of... 

The XPS valence band spectrum of an electroactive polymer/dopant complex can be understood in terms of the known valence band spectra of the monomer and the dopant. Thus, the valence band spectroscopy confirms the core-level results by identifying the monomer and dopant species [15]. 

Although valence band information could be acquired by conventional X-ray sources, analysis of the valence band region is not as simple as the core region, since all the components in the sample contribute in this narrow region (with E of 30 eV or less). Due to the broad line width of conventional X-ray sources and the low ionization cross section. X-ray-excited valence band spectroscopy is less commonly used for surface analysis. Instead, ultraviolet sources (e.g.. He I and He II) are adopted to acquire the valence band spectra, a surface technique called ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). He I and He n resonance lines have inherently narrow widths of only a few meVs and high ionization cross sections in the valence band. This technique is widely used in the study of adsorption phenomena and valence band structure of metals, alloys, and semiconductors. Work functions can be derived from the Fermi level and the secondary electron (SE) cutoff of the UPS spectrum. 

Valence band spectroscopies (AES and XPS) are practically limited to binary alloys because of the complications encountered with an increase in the number of alloy constituents. In contrast with AES and XPS, which probe the occupied DOS of the sample, SXAPS measures the unoccupied conduction band DOS. An important aspect of SXAPS should be pointed out in the present context. Since the matrix element governing the core-hole creation involves the very short-range wave function of the initial core electron state, the technique is expected to reveal a localized DOS. Since the spectra of different constituents are well separated in energy, the application of SXAPS is by no means limited to binary alloys. The changes in SXAPS spectral features and shifts in BE which accompany alloy formation will better characterize the alloys. 

MAGNETIC DICHROISM IN VALENCE BAND X-RAY PHOTO EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY... 

As a result of the atomic nature of the core orbitals, the structure and width of the features in an X-ray emission spectrum reflect the density of states in the valence band from which the transition originates. Also as a result of the atomic nature of the core orbitals, the selection rules governing the X-ray emission are those appropriate to atomic spectroscopy, more especially the orbital angular momentum selection rule A1 = + 1. Thus, transitions to the Is band are only allowed from bands corresponding to the p orbitals. 

The low BE region of XPS spectra (<20 — 30 eV) represents delocalized electronic states involved in bonding interactions [7]. Although UV radiation interacts more strongly (greater cross-section because of the similarity of its energy with the ionization threshold) with these states to produce photoelectrons, the valence band spectra measured by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) can be complicated to interpret [1], Moreover, there has always been the concern that valence band spectra obtained from UPS are not representative of the bulk solid because it is believed that low KE photoelectrons have a short IMFP compared to high KE photoelectrons and are therefore more surface-sensitive [1], Despite their weaker intensities, valence band spectra are often obtained by XPS instead of UPS because they provide... 

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