Empty states Investigation of Ni2Si by Photon Absorption Spectroscopy

We report photoabsorption spectra from the Ni-L2,3 edges in bulk Ni2Si and in pure Ni in order to investigate the d-partial density of states. The "white lines" observed in bulk Ni show a reduced intensity in the silicide. Moreover, we observed, in Ni2Si compound, a shift of the main feature of 1.7 eV towards higher binding energies and a new structure at about 7 eV above EF. The first feature indicates a marked shift of the maximum of the d-DOS above EF and it is interpreted in terms of the antibonding states. The feature at 7 eV can be related to the structure recently observed by Bremsstrahlung Isochromat Spectroscopy.