No abstract

The Fe 2p spectrum has a very complex peak structure and a very strong background. Based on the comparison of the spectra for iron film with varying thicknesses, an experimental multiple‐peak structure for the metallic Fe 2p spectrum is proposed. The analysis required the use of state‐of‐the‐art background modeling (including the active approach) and peak‐fitting methods (including the simultaneous fitting method). A key aspect that allowed for this analysis is that the peak components are the same for various Fe film thicknesses, but with varying relative intensities. The early stages of oxidation are analyzed. The angular dependence of the peak components is also discussed.

The metallic Fe 2p photoemission spectrum poses strong theoretical and analytical challenges. Its multiplet structure cannot be calculated with existing codes. Peak-fitting has been extremely elusive, with no reports in the literature showing possible peak components. Based on the comparison of the spectra for various iron film thickness, a primary function and a multiplet structure for the metallic Fe 2p spectrum is proposed. The fitting method involved state-of-theart tools such as simultaneous-fitting and the active background approach. A very interesting finding is that the relative strength of its multiplet components is modulated with film thickness.