Resonant photoemission of TiN films -: art. no. 075403

The bonding and electronic structure of TiN thin films grown by sputtering have been characterized by means of resonant photoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. Specifically we found a complex resonance profile that exhibits a maximum at 45 eV followed by a second structure at 50 eV. The intensity enhancement observed at 45 and 50 eV is consistent with the resonant photoemission of the Ti 3d states involved in the valence band of TiN and the multiplet configuration of the [Ti 3p(5)3d(2)]* excited states. The autoionizing character of the [Ti 3p(5)3d(2)]* states could also be confirmed by observation of the corresponding autoionization emission. The resonance is used to determine the Ti 3d contribution to the valence band. The results are in good agreement with calculated Ti 3d partial density of states.