NEXAFS spectral peculiarities in Sn:SiO2 composite layer

Abstract

Synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy has been used to investigate a novel Sn:SiO2 composite thin layer grown by organometallic chemical vapor deposition technique (CVD) on a single crystalline silicon wafer with additional treatment by argon ions. According to a previously reported thermodynamic anomaly, an efficient exchange of oxygen between the silicon and tin dioxide surfaces occurs during the growth of the metal oxide thin layer. The present study focuses on the visualization of the atomic and electronic structure of tin nanostructures localized in silica matrix. It is found that no significant chemical alterations are observed during argon ions treatment of the initial composite layer. The removal of atmospheric residues, which partially passivated defects in the highly defective SnO2-x top layer, did not significantly change the initial NEXAFS Sn M4,5 edge spectrum. Based on these results, we found that the main state in which tin nanoparticles localized in the amorphous silica matrix is the metallic state. In addition, based on the NEXAFS Si L2,3-edge studies, we found that silica is most associated with the stoichiometric structure of thermally deposited SiO2 layer with the presence of silicon suboxides. These results provide insights into the atomic and electronic structure of Sn:SiO2 composites and contribute to the possible implementation of such materials in various application concepts related to thermal energy storage and novel photonic devices.