Analysis of artificial silicon microstructures by ultra-small-angle and spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering

Abstract

Ultra-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (USANS) is currently becoming an effective technique for the analysis of structures in the micrometer range. The new Spin-Echo SANS (SESANS) method measures a signal in real space. In both cases microfabricated silicon gratings provide unique test procedures for the related devices and interpretations of the experimental data. A series of one-dimensional gratings was fabricated using a highly anisotropic ion etching technique (RIE) and measured at the USANS instrument S18 at ILL, Grenoble. Grating parameters derived from the experimental data are in agreement with the nominal values. Scattering length density correlation functions calculated from the USANS data are compared to SESANS correlation functions measured at the Delft University of Technology, demonstrating the reciprocity of the two scattering methods. Reconstruction techniques for one-dimensional scattering length density distributions are applied to the USANS data. The results are in good agreement with SEM micrographs of the samples.