Processing and Ce-doping dependence of Nd2−xCexCuO4−δ core level spectra

Abstract We present investigations of the processing and doping dependence of the Cu 2p- and Nd 3d-core level spectra of Nd 2− x Ce x CuO 4−δ . The sintering process seems to enhance the overlap between Cu 3d- and O 2p-orbitals in the CuO- layers, whereas the reducing procedure as well as Ce-doping introduce electrons with Cu 3d-character into the T'-structure. Nd 3d-spectra show a decreasing mean overlap of Nd-orbitals with the neighbouring oxygen atoms as a result of both the sintering and reducing processes, whereas hybridizations is enhanced with increasing Ce-content of the samples. This behaviour can be explained by the removal of oxygen from the NdO-layers of Nd 2− x Ce x CuO 4−δ during the sintering and reducing procedures.