Scanning X-ray microdiffraction with submicrometer white beam for strain/stress and orientation mapping in thin films

Abstract

Scanning X-ray microdiffraction (microSXRD) combines the use of high-brilliance synchrotron sources with the latest achromatic X-ray focusing optics and fast large-area two-dimensional-detector technology. Using white beams or a combination of white and monochromatic beams, this technique allows for the orientation and strain/stress mapping of polycrystalline thin films with submicrometer spatial resolution. The technique is described in detail as applied to the study of thin aluminium and copper blanket films and lines following electromigration testing and/or thermal cycling experiments. It is shown that there are significant orientation and strain/stress variations between grains and inside individual grains. A polycrystalline film when investigated at the granular (micrometer) level shows a highly mechanically inhomogeneous medium that allows insight into its mesoscopic properties. If the microSXRD data are averaged over a macroscopic range, results show good agreement with direct macroscopic texture and stress measurements.

Impact of deposition conditions on the crystallization kinetics of amorphous GeTe films

“…The diffraction patterns were collected with a DECTRIS Pilatus 1 M pixel area detector (active area of 179 mm 9 169 mm), which was placed at a distance of approximately 140 mm from the sample. More detailed information on the setup at this beamline can be obtained elsewhere [12,13].…”

Optimizing disk registration algorithms for nanobeam electron diffraction strain mapping

“…Likewise in metallic specimens, understanding strain and its evolution under deformation will help further the understanding and predictive capabilities of the field. While many techniques of measuring strain exist [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9], scanning convergent nanobeam electron diffraction (NBED) is attractive for a number of reasons. First, NBED strain mapping offers the potential of very high accuracy in strain measurement.…”

Fabrication, structure and mechanical properties of indium nanopillars

“…Micro-diffraction experiments were carried out by using a synchrotron radiation at the Beamline 12.3.2 Advanced Light Source (ALS) Synchrotron facility of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Details of this white beam Laue technique have been described elsewhere [21][22][23][24]. Indium pillars prepared for this part of study were fabricated on a silicon substrate coated with 20 nm titanium adhesion layer and a 100 nm gold seed layer using the electroplating conditions described above.…”

“…This method uses a focused polychromatic X-ray beam to obtain Laue diffraction patterns of indium pillars. These results can be used to determine the grain orientations, stresses and strains [21], and, more importantly, dislocation densities [22]. Micro-diffraction experiments were carried out by using a synchrotron radiation at the Beamline 12.3.2 Advanced Light Source (ALS) Synchrotron facility of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.…”