Resonance enhancement of x-rays and fluorescence yield from marker layers in thin films

Abstract

Resonance enhancement of x rays in a thin film and fluorescence emission from embedded marker layers within the film have been studied. With embedded marker layers of Ti, Fe, and W at different depths in a thin Si film on a Au-coated Si substrate, it has been shown that the position of a marker layer throughout the depth of the film can be unambiguously determined with a precision better than 0.5 nm. In this example, field-intensity enhancement upto 16 times have been observed. Field enhancement gives rise to enhanced sensitivity. The usefulness of this resonance-enhanced x-ray fluorescence spectrometry in the study of diffusion with marker layers in thin films including polymers and nanocomposites has been elucidated.