Investigation of Ni/CuO interface by X-ray Photoelectron SpectroscopyNew Submission

The Ni/CuO interface has been investigated using the technique of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Thin films of Ni were deposited on CuO substrates kept at room temperature. The deposition was carried out using the e-beam technique. The spectral data in the 2p regions of Ni and Cu have been recorded. The high binding energy spectral features associated with the core level peaks have been utilized to investigate the interface. The changes in the features show considerable chemical reactivity between Ni and CuO. The copper oxide was observed to get reduced to elemental copper while nickel was observed to get oxidized to NiO. The interface width has been observed to be sharp. A method to estimate the interface width will be presented.