The Satellite Structures of Nickel L3VV Auger Spectrumn Nickel Silicides: a Synchrotron Radiation investigation

We report the first synchrotron radiation investigation of the satellite structures of the Ni L3M4, 5M4, 5 Auger spectrum in the Ni compounds Ni2Si and NiSi2. The line shape of the satellites is extracted for both compounds for a set of increasing ionizing energies; the procedure used to generate the difference spectra is described. A comparision of the two sets of satellites with each other and with results reported in the literature for the case of pure Ni allows us to identify the changes in the line shape due to the different chemical environment. Possible mechanisms leading to the formation of these structures are discussed.