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The interatomic interaction and chemical state of elements in amorphous multilayered (Co45Fe45Zr10/a-Si)40and (Co45Fe45Zr10/SiO2)32nanostructures with different interlayers have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations have demonstrated that, in surface layers of all the studied multilayered structures, the metallic layer components Co, Fe, and Zr are in the oxidized state. The silicon state is found to be identical and close to the state of nonstoichiometric silicon oxide, regardless of the presumed compositions of SiO2and a-Si interlayers. After the removal of surface layers of the multilayered structures in the sample preparation chamber by ion etching, the metallic layer components Co, Fe, and Zr are predominantly in the elemental state.

The electronic structure and phase composition of amorphous multilayered nanostructures (Co45Fe45Zr10/a-Si)40and (Co45Fe45Zr10/SiO2)32have been investigated by means of the X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) technique, which is the most sensitive and useful in investigation of the chemical environment of elements in multicomponent nanostructures. The fact of interatomic interactions leading to the formation of composite “nanoferrite”-like FeO · Fe2O3· ZrO2(CoO) was established. Also it was shown that in the mentioned nanoferrite there is an exchange interaction which involves not only two- and three-charged ions of iron (Fe2+and Fe3+) but also ions like Zr4+and, partially, Co2+. The transformation of the thin structure of L2,3-ranges for the iron component of multilayered nanostructures in XANES spectra reflects on the change of the ratio of di- and trivalent ions in iron oxides as a part of the composite “nanoferrite.”