$Grazing incidence diffraction GIXD$ Grazing incidence

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

and

neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...

diffraction (GID, GIXD, GIND), typically from a crystalline structure uses small incident angles for the incoming X-ray or neutron beam, so that diffraction can be made surface sensitive. It is used to study surfaces and layers because wave penetration is limited. Distances are in the order of nanometres. Below (typically 80%) the critical angle of the surface material studied an evanescent wave is established for a short distance and is exponentially damped. Therefore, Bragg reflections are only coming from the surface structure. An advantage of GIXD is that the electric field at the critical angle is amplified locally by a factor of four, making the signal stronger. A disadvantage is the limited in-plane spatial resolution (beam footprint). When very small scattering angles are being studied, the technique is called

grazing-incidence small-angle scattering Grazing-incidence small-angle scattering (GISAS) is a scattering technique used to study nanostructured surfaces and thin films. The scattered probe is either photons (grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, GISAXS) or neutrons (grazing-inci ...

(GISAS, GISAXS, GISANS), and requires special methodology.

History

Before synchrotron-based X-ray sources became strong enough very little research was possible. The first paper published was by Marra and Eisenberger who used both a rotating anode x-ray source and the

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (formerly Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory), a division of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is operated by Stanford University for the Department of Energy. SSRL is a National User Fac ...

. Soon dedicated ultra-high-vacuum diffractometers were developed for preparing and studying surfaces ''in-situ'', the first at SSRL and the second at the

National Synchrotron Light Source The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York was a national user research facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Built from 1978 through 1984, and officially shut down ...

References

Scientific techniques {{physics-stub

History

See also

Further reading

References