The new diffractometer for surface X-ray diffraction at beamline BL9 of DELTA

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Science
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• The hard X-ray beamline BL9 at the Dortmund Electron Accelerator features a Huber six-circle diffractometer.
• This setup is optimized for grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) on solid surfaces and thin films.
• Powder diffraction measurements are also supported.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a novel setup for grazing-incidence X-ray scattering (GIXS) specifically for liquid surfaces.
• To investigate the structural properties of various materials including thin films, oxidized alloys, and liquid solutions using advanced X-ray techniques.

Main Methods:

• A new GIXS setup was engineered using a silicon mirror to direct incident X-rays onto liquid surfaces at angles near the critical angle for total reflection.
• Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) was employed to analyze the structure of epitaxially grown Gd40Y60 films and oxidized Fe-15at.%Al alloy surfaces.
• X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements were performed on a polymer film.
• GIXS was used to study aqueous salt solutions.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of a new GIXS setup for liquid surface analysis.
• Detailed structural characterization of a polymer film using XRR.
• Analysis of the surface structure of an oxidized Fe-15at.%Al alloy via GIXD.
• Investigation of the structure of an epitaxially grown Gd40Y60 film using GIXD.
• Characterization of aqueous salt solutions using GIXS.

Conclusions:

• The developed GIXS setup is effective for studying liquid surfaces.
• The experimental station at BL9 provides versatile capabilities for surface and thin film analysis using X-ray diffraction and reflectivity.
• The study demonstrates the application of these techniques to a range of materials, yielding valuable structural insights.