Abstract

The evaluation of interface roughness as a function of the film thickness (100-500 layers) have been studied. The combination of X-ray reflectivity, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HREM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has provided detailed information about the structure of the deposited multilayers. Here we demonstrate the results and a comparison of these methods on three Ni/C multilayers of comparable periods (39Å<d<45Å) on Si single crystal substrates. The HREM investigation, using a cross-section technique, has shown interesting results, in that the Ni layers contained nanocrystalized particles. A diffraction pattern from such a sample revealed superlattice Bragg diffraction of the multilayer structure, the (110) diffraction pattern of the silicon substrate and diffuse rings of the amorphous carbon. No rings were observed for the crystalline Ni. Graded d-spacing multilayers were also investigated. The same preparation technique, used for HREM analysis, was employed for the AFM, not to study the surface of the multilayers but in order to make further characterization of the interface roughness of the multilayers. Comparisons of the results obtained by X-ray reflectivity and high resolution microscopy are reported.

© 1994 Optical Society of America