Electron energy loss near edge structure on the nitrogen K-edge in vanadium nitrides

This paper presents electron energy-loss near-edge structure (ELNES) data f or the N K edges of vanadium nitrides. By rapid thermal processing of vanad ium layers in pure nitrogen at high temperatures the two known vanadium nit rides, VN and V2N, have been prepared. The phases have been checked by elec tron diffraction and quantitative electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis. Because their crystallographical structures are different, they a lso exhibit different ELNES features, which can be used as fingerprints for rapidly distinguishing between VN and V2N. The experimental findings are s upported by modelling the N K edge using a band structure approach (full li nearized augmented plane wave method).