X‐ray absorption spectroscopy study of buried Co layers in the Co/Mo₂C multilayer mirrors

Abstract

X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co K edge was applied to investigate the chemical environment of Co atoms inside Co/Mo 2 C periodic multilayers. The results show a mixing between Co and Mo 2 C layers prior to any annealing process, whereas following annealing from 300°C pure Co layers are observed. X-ray absorption spectroscopy results are in agreement with previous nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy results. They indicate that the pure Co content increases upon annealing, while it is absent in the as-deposited samples. The comparison of the results, based on the analysis of the data obtained on the multilayer samples and some reference materials, reveals that the ordering of Co atoms inside the Co layers increases upon annealing. Copyright