Electronic properties of the Mn–CdTe(1 1 0) interface probed by resonant photoemission at the Mn 2p–3d absorption threshold

Resonant photoemission at the Mn 2p → 3d absorption threshold is used to probe the distribution of the Mn spectral weight in the valence band of Mn thin layers grown onto the CdTe (1 1 0) surface. It is shown that at the early stages of the evaporation process, a Cd–Mn–Te surface alloy is formed, even at room temperature. The Mn 3d spectral weight in the valence band, which is enhanced across the resonance, is quite similar to that observed for Cd1−xMnx Te single crystals. At larger Mn coverages, the growth of a metallic Mn phase on top of the Mn–Cd–Te surface alloy is detected both at resonance and by collecting Mn 2p core level photoemission data.