Rocking-Curve Peak Shift in Thin Heterojunction Single Layers

Abstract

AbstractA simple method for determining layer composition and mismatch of semiconductor hetero-epitaxial samples is by measuring the separation of peaks in x-ray rocking curve (XRC). This method fails if the peak separation is affected by other factors. For a small layer thickness, the layer peak position is affected by the x-ray amplitudes of the substrate or other thicker layers through the interference and overlap effects. In this case, a diffraction theory fitting process is necessary for a correct determination of layer parameters. We have used dynamical and kinematical x-ray diffraction theories to calculate the layer peak position as a function of its thickness for various layer/substrate combinations. These two theories yield substantially different results, indicating that the kinematical diffraction theory analysis is no longer valid for these thin layers. When a thick layer is present along with the thin layer, the thick layer is more influential than the substrate to the thin layer peak position, making the dynamical theory fitting necessary even from higher thickness.