Silicon carbide (SiC) is a candidate material for electronic devices to operate upon crucial environment. Electronic states of silicides and/or carbide/graphite formed in metal/SiC contact system is fundamentally important from the view point of device performance.
We study interface electronic structure of vanadium (V) thin-film deposited on 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) Si-face by using a soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (SXES). For specimens of V(38 nm)/6H-SiC (substrate) contact systems annealed at 850 degrees C, the Si L(2,3) emission spectra indicate different shapes and peak energies from the substrate. The product of materials such as silicides and/or ternary materials is suggested. Similarly, the C K alpha emission spectra show the shape and peak energy characteristic of vanadium carbide including substrate 6H-SiC signal. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.