INTERPLAY OF ELECTRONIC AND GEOMETRIC STRUCTURE IN A MODEL SYSTEM - EPITAXIAL IRON SILICIDES

In this article, the interplay between electronic and geometric proper ties in transition metal silicide systems is presented using as a mode l system Fe-Si binary compounds. When iron silicides are epitaxially g rown on Si(lll), several different phases can be obtained, depending o n the preparation conditions, In particular, for a 1:1 Fe:Si stoichiom etry, there are two different phases possible: FeSi(CsCl) and epsilon- FeSi. The former is a metastable phase, stabilized through epitaxy, wh ile the latter is the bulk-stable phase for a 1:1 composition. Althoug h the two have nominally the same composition, their different structu res give rise to distinct electronic properties in each material. Thei r electronic structures have been probed by angle-resolved photoemissi on. In this article the results of this analysis will be presented alo ng with the main properties of both compounds.