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arXiv · 2308.06724

The impact of the near-surface region on the interpretation of x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Lishai Shoham·Maria Baskin·Yaron Kauffmann·Anna Zakharova·Teppei Yoshida·Shigeki Miyasaka·Cinthia Piamonteze·Lior Kornblum
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Abstract

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) exhibit a broad spectrum of electronic, magnetic, and optical properties, making them intriguing materials for various technological applications. Soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is widely used to study TMOs, shedding light on their chemical state, electronic structure, orbital polarization, element-specific magnetism, and more. Different XAS acquisition modes feature different information depth regimes in the sample. Here, we employ two XAS acquisition modes, having surface-sensitive versus bulk probing depths, on the prototypical TMO SrVO3. We illustrate and elucidate a strong apparent discrepancy between the different modes, emphasizing the impact of the near-surface region on the interpretation of XAS data. These findings highlight the importance of the acquisition mode selection in XAS analysis. Moreover, the results highlight the role of the near-surface region not only in the characterization of TMOs, but also in the design of future nanoscale oxide electronics.

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Lishai Shoham, Maria Baskin, Yaron Kauffmann, Anna Zakharova, Teppei Yoshida, Shigeki Miyasaka, Cinthia Piamonteze, Lior Kornblum. 2023-08-13. The impact of the near-surface region on the interpretation of x-ray absorption spectroscopy. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0198123

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