Electron-induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (EXES) is an efficient technique to study the physicochemical properties of thin films and of buried interfaces. This method analyzes the distribution of the valence stares, i.e. the states sensitive to the environment, in a selective way with the depth. The selectivity comes from the sue of ionizing particles (electrons) gradually loosing their energy in the matter. Then the incident electron energy can be chosen in order to probe a given thickness of the material under study. Relation between chemical bond and atomic structure is discussed in the case of bare dielectrics (Al_2O_3 and MgO). Applications to buried metal-dielectric interfaces (AuPd/Al_2O_3 and Cu/MgO) are discussed as a function of mechanical properties.
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