Microsc. Microanal. Microstruct. 6, 621-631 (1995)
DOI: 10.1051/mmm:1995152

Progress in the Characterization of Layered Structures by X-Ray Microanalysis

David G. Rickerby

Institute for Advanced Materials, European Commission - Joint Research Centre, 21020 Ispra (VA), Italy

Abstract
Recent advances in the mathematical description of the depth distribution of X-ray generation, , have permitted the quantitative analysis of multilayer structures with a precision approaching nm. A weighted average mass absorption coefficient is proposed for use in analysis with L series radiation when the energy separation of the component lines is less than the spectrometer resolution. This is shown to improve agreement between experimental data and the theoretically calculated X-ray intensities. An example of the application of the method to the analysis of a titanium-boron nitride bilayer is described with special reference to the problem of detection of interfacial diffusion and oxidation phenomena.

PACS
8280D - Electromagnetic radiation spectrometry chemical analysis.
6848 - Solid solid interfaces.
6630N - Chemical interdiffusion in solids.
6865 - Low dimensional structures: growth, structure and nonelectronic properties.
8160 - Corrosion, oxidation, etching, and other surface treatments.

Key words
boron compounds -- chemical interdiffusion -- interface structure -- oxidation -- titanium -- X ray chemical analysis -- layered structures -- X ray microanalysis -- mathematical description -- depth distribution -- X ray generation -- weighted average mass absorption coefficient -- L series radiation -- energy separation -- X ray intensities -- Ti BN bilayer -- interfacial diffusion -- oxidation phenomena -- Ti BN


© EDP Sciences 1995