X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies on amorphous TbFeCo alloy and polycarbonate interface

Depth-profile of amorphous TbFeCo film sputtered onto polycarbonate substrate was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Oxidized metals, oxides and hydroxides for example, and adsorbed impurities were found to exist mainly in the vicinity of the film surface and film/substrate interface. Multiplet splitting of core-level spectra was also observed to estimate the degree of charge transfer from rare earth to transition metal. The splitting was identical with that of pure metal which indicates extremely small charge transfer.