High-resolution X-ray scattering. From thin films and lateral nanostructures.. This item is unavailable.High-resolution X-ray scattering. From thin films and lateral nanostructures.

During the last 20 years interest in high-resolution x-ray diffractometry and reflectivity has grown as a result of the development of the semiconductor industry and the increasing interest in material research of thin layers of magnetic, organic, and other materials. For example, optoelectronics requires a subsequent epitaxy of thin layers of different semiconductor materials. Here, the individuallayer thicknesses are scaled down to a few atomic layers in order to exploit quantum effects. For reasons of electronic and optical confinement, these thin layers are embedded within much thicker cladding layers or stacks of multilayers of slightly different chemical composition. It is evident that the interface quality of those quantum weHs is quite important for the function of devices. Thin metallic layers often show magnetic properties which do not ap­ pear for thick layers or in bulk material. The investigation of the mutual interaction of magnetic and non-magnetic layers leads to the discovery of colossal magnetoresistance, for example. This property is strongly related to the thickness and interface roughness of covered layers.

The book presents a detailed description of high-resolution x-ray scattering methods suitable for the investigation of the real structure of single-crystalline layers and multilayers, including structure defects in the layers and at the interfaces. Particular attention is devoted to lateral structures in semiconductors and semiconductor multilayers such as quantum wires and quantum dots. Both the theoretical background and the application of the methods are discussed. The second edition is extended to deal with lateral surface nanostructures such as gratings and dots, new examples for measuring layer thickness, lattice mismatch, and surface/interface roughness. The book will be an invaluable source for graduates and scientists.