A compact UHV X-ray diffractometer for studying surfaces and interfaces

Abstract

A compact ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) X-ray diffractometer for surface glancing X-ray scattering has been constructed. All the equipment, including a rotating-anode source of 18 kW and a UHV specimen chamber, is arranged on one optical table of dimensions 70 Â 90 cm. The specimen chamber is 14 cm in diameter and 20 cm high and can be evacuated up to 3 Â 10 À8 Pa. It is equipped with two Be windows of thicknesses 0.2 and 0.4 mm. Specimen orientation in the vacuum is controlled from the outside. The specimen can be heated up to 773 K. The chamber has two evaporation cells and can be used for in situ observations of growing crystal surfaces. Using this instrument, we observed a mechanically polished Ag surface and successfully made an in situ observation of the layer-by-layer growth of a PbSe(111) surface. The instrument will be useful for preliminary experiments using laboratory sources, prior to ®nal measurements at synchrotron radiation facilities.