SIRIUS: A new beamline for in situ X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy studies of advanced materials and nanostructures at the SOLEIL Synchrotron

Abstract

We present a new beamline of Synchrotron SOLEIL dedicated to the study of thin films, nanostructures, and advanced materials via X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy in the energy range 1.4–12keV. This range covers most of the absorption edges of interest in the fields of semiconductors and functional oxides. In order to meet the increasing demand of advanced real-time characterization of nanoscale materials, the beamline optics and instrumentation have been designed with remarkable dynamic characteristics. SIRIUS presently ends in two experimental stations used for in situ X-ray characterization: a baby chamber and a chemical reactor, both mounted on a large seven-circle diffractometer. The rector is dedicated to atomic layer deposition and metal organic chemical vapor deposition of oxide materials. The third end-station, an in-vacuum diffractometer, will be operative by the end of 2016. SIRIUS offers several synchrotron radiation techniques which can be performed simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously on the same sample. We show here some examples of the first in situ results obtained at the beamline.