X-ray Standing Wave Fluorescence Research Articles

Increasing soft x-ray reflectance of short-period W/Si multilayers using B4C diffusion barriers

Short-period multilayer mirrors are used in wavelength-dispersive x-ray fluorescence to extend the wavelength range available with naturally occurring Bragg-crystals. W/Si multilayer mirrors with a period of 2.5 nm are used to reflect and disperse elements in the O-Kα–Al-Kα range. However, the reflectance is far from theoretical due to nanoscale W-Si intermixing and formation of WSix. In this work, B4C diffusion barriers were applied in sputter deposited 2.5 nm W/Si multilayers to inhibit W–Si interaction. A peak reflectance of 45% at 9.7° grazing was measured at a wavelength of 0.834 nm—the highest reported in the literature so far. Diffuse scattering measurements revealed no change in interfacial roughness when applying B4C barriers compared to W/Si. A hybrid grazing incidence x-ray reflectivity and x-ray standing wave fluorescence analysis revealed an increase in W concentration of the absorber layer after the application of B4C barriers. Chemical analysis suggests a partial replacement of W silicide bonds with W carbide/boride bonds from the B4C barrier. The formed WxBy and WxCy instead of WxSiy is hypothesized to increase reflectance at 0.834 nm due to its higher W atomic density.

Multiparameter characterization of subnanometre Cr/Sc multilayers based on complementary measurements.

Cr/Sc multilayer systems can be used as near-normal incidence mirrors for the water window spectral range. It is shown that a detailed characterization of these multilayer systems with 400 bilayers of Cr and Sc, each with individual layer thicknesses <1 nm, is attainable by the combination of several analytical techniques. EUV and X-ray reflectance measurements, resonant EUV reflectance across the Sc L edge, and X-ray standing wave fluorescence measurements were used. The parameters of the multilayer model were determined via a particle-swarm optimizer and validated using a Markov chain Monte Carlo maximum-likelihood approach. For the determination of the interface roughness, diffuse scattering measurements were conducted.

Discrimination and quantification of Fe and Ni abundances in Genesis solar wind implanted collectors using X-ray standing wave fluorescence yield depth profiling with internal referencing

X-ray standing wave fluorescence yield depth profiling was used to determine the solar wind implanted Fe and Ni fluences in a silicon-on-sapphire (SoS) Genesis collector (60326). An internal reference standardization method was developed based on fluorescence from Si and Al in the collector materials. Measured Fe fluence agreed well with that measured previously by us on a sapphire collector (50722) as well as SIMS results by Jurewicz et al. Measured Ni fluence was higher than expected by a factor of two; neither instrumental errors nor solar wind fractionation effects are considered significant perturbations to this value. Impurity Ni within the epitaxial Si layer, if present, could explain the high Ni fluences and therefore needs further investigation. As they stand, these results are consistent with minor temporally-variable Fe and Ni fractionation on the timescale of a year.

X-ray standing wave induced Compton and elastic scattering from thin periodic multilayer structures

We report determination of structural parameters on angstrom length scale of nanostructured periodic multilayers using x-ray standing wave (XSW) enhanced elastic and Compton scattering. We show that the elastic scattered x-ray intensities emitted from the thin periodic multilayer structures, under strong XSW condition, are largely sensitive to the structural parameters of high-$z$ layers, whereas the Compton scattered intensities are sensitive to the parameters of low-$z$ layers. The utility of the methodology is demonstrated by analyzing two repetitive W/B${}_{4}$C multilayer structures with different surface-interface properties. The results are compared with those obtained using x-ray reflectivity and conventional x-ray standing wave fluorescence techniques. It is further shown that the Bragg angle can be derived with high accuracy (\ensuremath{\sim}0.002${}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$) from the ratio of the scattering intensities, which in turn improves the accuracy of the derived multilayer periodicity. The method presents an opportunity to probe structures on angstrom length scale of any periodic multilayer structure comprising of low atomic number layers. Unlike the conventional XSW fluorescence measurements, the present method has an advantage that it permits the determination of structural parameters of both the high- and the low-$z$ layers independently.

Molecular organization in protein-lipid film on the water surface studied by x-ray standing wave measurements under total external reflection

The x-ray standing wave method has been applied to study self-assembling processes in a protein-lipid film formed by injecting the protein-lipid mixture of alkaline phosphatase and phosphatidylinositol under the phospholipid monolayer preliminarily deposited on the water subphase by Langmuir method. X-ray standing wave measurements allowed to determine the composition of the protein-lipid film and to locate ions position in the direction normal to the film surface. The presence of trace Ni contamination incorporated in the protein-lipid film from the water subphase has been established. Numerical analysis of the X-ray standing wave fluorescence data revealed that after injection under the phospholipid monolayer, the protein-lipid mixture separated in a self-assembled manner to layered structure, molecules of alkaline phosphatase arranged themselves into a pure protein layer containing no phospholipid molecules.

Determining the conformation of an adsorbed Br-PEG-peptide by long period X-ray standing wave fluorescence.

Long-period X-ray standing wave fluorescence (XSW) and X-ray reflectivity techniques are employed to probe the conformation of a Br-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-peptide adsorbate at the hydrated interface of a polystyrene substrate. The Br atom on this Br-PEG-peptide construct serves as a marker atom allowing determination by XSW of its position and distribution with respect to the adsorption surface with angstrom resolution. Adsorption occurs on native or ion-beam-modified polystyrene films that are spin-coated onto a Si substrate and display either nonpolar or polar surfaces, respectively. A compact, oriented monolayer of Br-PEG-peptide can be formed with the peptide end adsorbed onto the polar surface and the PEG end terminating with the Br tag extending into the aqueous phase. The 108-141 A distance of the Br atom from the polystyrene surface in this oriented monolayer is similar to the estimated approximately 150 A length of the extended Br-PEG-peptide. This Br-polystyrene distance depends on adsorption time and surface properties prior to adsorption. Incomplete multilayers form on the polar surface after sufficient adsorption time elapses. By contrast, adsorption onto the nonpolar surface is submonolayer, patchy, and highly disordered with an isotropic Br distribution. Overall, this combination of X-ray surface scattering techniques with a novel sample preparation strategy has several advantages as a real space probe of adsorbed or covalently bound biomolecules at the liquid-solid interface.

Atomic-size effects on the growth of SrF2 and (Ca,Sr)F2 on Si(111).

Strain-induced lattice relaxation during overlayer growth is investigated by {ital in} {ital situ} monitoring of SrF{sub 2} and Ca{sub {ital x}}Sr{sub 1{minus}{ital x}}F{sub 2} growth on Si(111) with x-ray standing-wave fluorescence and low-energy electron diffracton. Submonolayer films show both intrinsic lateral disorder and variable interface stoichiometry with discommensuration parallel to the surface after completion of the first monolayer. In contrast, local commensuration is observed for Ca-rich alloy films. In the alloy, Sr and Ca occupy different sites in the first monolayer, but have similar average positions in subsequent layers.

X-ray standing wave fluorescence measurements in ultra-high vacuum: Adsorption of Br on Si(111)−(1×1)

Measurements with standing X-ray wave-fields were carried out for the first time under UHV conditions. Difficulties which were predicted for such measurements before were solved by using synchrotron X-radiation. The (111) Fourier component of the distribution function of 1 ML Br on a Si(111)−(1×1) surface was determined and reveals a Br position of 0.64 · d 111 perpendicular to the (111) planes, which favours a three-fold ionic adsorption site. This adsorbate geometry differs markedly from the Br on-top position on a chemically prepared surface.