Determination of atomic density profiles in synthetic multilayers by anomalous x-ray diffraction

Abstract

We report a simple and nondestructive method to determine directly the spatial profiles of the constituent elements in a synthetic multilayered material with a resolution of 10–20 Å. This has been accomplished by measuring the x-ray diffraction Bragg peak intensities over a large range of energies, and interpreting these data using a dynamical theory to deduce the first few Fourier coefficients of the relevant spatial profiles. We present initial results for Ti-Si multilayer samples grown by thermal deposition. These results demonstrate extensive interdiffusion of the silicon into the titanium layers, even without annealing.

Investigation of interface morphology and composition mixing in CdTe/CdS heterojunction photovoltaic materials using synchrotron radiation

“…A more detailed investigation of the annealing effect on Te distribution is in progress, by using the techniques of ADXRF and anomalous x-ray scattering. [18][19][20] Since these are only the first-time results, it would seem natural that some other measurements could be carried out to obtain further useful information of the PV materials immediately following the approach of the present experiment. In general, these x-ray techniques are especially useful for clarifying the generic properties of interfaces in the heterojunctions.…”