Valence band behaviour of zirconium oxide, Photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy study

Abstract

In this study X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy were combined to investigate the effect of oxygen incorporation on the valence band behaviour of ZrO _x . The Auger transitions involving valence bands are found to mimic the self-folded density of state measured using Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The valence band once constructed in a sub-oxide form, stays at a fixed energy position despite the change in the stoichiometry. This behaviour is found to be useful in setting a reference for X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy charge correction. The results of the charged corrected spectra were compared to other methods and found to be in great agreement. Finally, a correlation between the core-level binding energy and the structural property of ZrO _x is given.