Composition and local bonding in RE-Si-M-O-N (M=Mg, Al ; RE=La, Lu) glasses

Two series of oxynitride glasses, RE-Si-Mg-O-N (M=Mg, Al ; RE=La, Lu), have been studied by X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The oxygen 1s photoelectron lineshape reveals a striking difference depending on the rare earth, both in the Mg series and in the Al series. Specifically, the oxygen 1s photoelectron lines of the La doped glasses are broader than the ones of the Lu doped glasses. This result is an experimental evidence that Lu has a larger affinity for oxygen versus nitrogen than La, as theoretically predicted by the first-principles calculations by Painter et al.