Auger analysis of iron–cobalt alloys

For the 3d transition metals in their elemental form, the ratio R of the intensity of the L23M45M45 Auger transition to that of the L23M23M23 Auger transition is proportional to N(N−1), where N is the occupancy of the 3d shell. Measurements of R should reflect changes in N due to charge transfer. Auger measurements in the Fe–Co alloy system after ion sputtering have been made. Because of overlapping transitions only iron R values were measured. It was found that R is constant within 1% across the alloy system indicating that the 3d occupancy of iron changes by less than 0.5%. This result favors the coherent potential approximation theory of the magnetism of this alloy system rather than a charge transfer model. Little preferential sputtering was found in theFe–Co alloy system with 2.5‐keV Ar+ ions at near normal incidence.