Effects of chemical environment in the lineshape of silicon L2,3VV Auger spectra of nickel silicides

The Si L2,3VV Auger lineshape in nickel silicides of different compositions has been studied both experimentally and theoretically with the purpose of understanding the behaviour of silicon states in compounds where the Si atom has different local chemical environments. The experimental spectra provide evidence of significant modifications in the lineshapes, which are associated with changes in the distribution of the valence electrons. These modifications can be explained by theoretical calculations based on a single-particle description of the bulk electronic structure. Some discrepancies between theory and experiments can be attributed to approximations in the treatment of the final state of the Auger electron and to the neglect of surface effects in the electronic structure calculation.