The domains of antiferromagnetic order in elemental chromium can be observed with spatial resolution that is improved by orders of magnitude in comparison with previous techniques using magnetic x-ray scattering with an incident x-ray beam focused to a submicron spot. This use of magnetic x-ray microscopy takes advantage of the incommensurate spin density wave order in Cr to isolate magnetic scattering. The spin polarization dependence of the magnetic x-ray scattering cross section allows the first order spin-flip transition near 120 K to be imaged directly.

Columnar microstructure in step-graded Si(1-x)Ge(x)/Si(001) structures with low threading dislocation densities has been determined using high angular resolution (approximately 0.005 degrees ) x-ray microdiffraction. X-ray rocking curves of a 3-microm-thick strain-relaxed Si(0.83)Ge(0.17) film show many sharp peaks and can be simulated with a model having a set of Gaussians having narrow angular widths (0.013 degrees -0.02 degrees ) and local ranges of tilt angles varying from 0.05 degrees to 0.2 degrees. These peaks correspond to individual tilted rectangular columnar micrograins having similar (001) lattice spacings and average areas of 0.8 to 2.0 microm(2).

Strain distributions within a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer induced by overlying compressively stressed Si3N4 features were measured using x-ray microbeam diffraction. A comparison of analytical and numerical mechanical models of the depth-averaged strain distributions to the measured strain profiles in the SOI layer indicated a blanket film stress of −2.5 GPa in the Si3N4 features. A two-dimensional boundary element model, implemented to analyze thin film/substrate systems, reproduced the observed strain distributions better than an edge-force formulation due to the incorporation of loading along the Si3N4/Si interface.

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