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Valence Band Structure of Chalcogenide Obtained by X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Etching Technique
Author(s) -
Jia Shujing,
Shi Nannan,
Shen Jiabin,
Wu Renjie,
Liu Qi,
Song Zhitang,
Zhu Min
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.202100038
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , chalcogenide , amorphous solid , materials science , fermi level , valence (chemistry) , semimetal , amorphous carbon , electronic structure , chalcogenide glass , analytical chemistry (journal) , crystallography , chemical physics , band gap , optoelectronics , chemistry , computational chemistry , chemical engineering , chromatography , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , engineering , electron
Chalcogenide glass, such as GeSe, has been widely used in the selector device for high‐density vertically stackable memory application due to their nonlinear electrical property. The electronic structure of the valence band, from which the nature of the bonding, the short‐range structure, and the Fermi level can be obtained, is of great importance to understand their unique electrical behavior. However, the surface oxidation issue makes it difficult to obtain the accurate valence band structure by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Herein, XPS depth profiles using the combination of the monatomic and cluster ion etching are performed to determine the valence band structures of amorphous Ge–Se films capped with a thin carbon layer. The completely different etching behavior dependent on composition in the depth profiles may be closely associated with the intrinsic bonding configurations of the amorphous films. After obtaining the fresh surface, the intrinsic valence band structures of amorphous Ge–Se samples demonstrate the different bonding behavior and short‐range structure. Most importantly, the Fermi level of amorphous Ge x Se 100− x compounds is also determined.