Laboratory Setup for Scanning-Free Grazing Emission X-ray Fluorescence

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Grazing incidence and grazing emission X-ray fluorescence (GI/GE-XRF) spectroscopy offers non-destructive elemental depth profiling at the nanometer scale.
• Existing setups often require specialized facilities or longer measurement times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a laboratory setup for soft X-ray GEXRF measurements.
• To demonstrate nanometer-resolved elemental depth profiling using a laboratory source.
• To validate the potential for in-situ process control in industries like semiconductors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a laser-produced plasma (LPP) source for high brilliance.
• Employed a scanning-free GEXRF setup with a large detection solid angle.
• Used a pnCCD detector in single photon counting mode for energy dispersion.
• Analyzed a nickel-carbon multilayer sample with a lateral bilayer thickness gradient.

Main Results:

• Achieved reasonable measurement times by combining LPP source and scanning-free setup.
• Recorded GEXRF profiles of Ni-Lα,β lines at various positions.
• Simulations predicted an intensity minimum correlating with bilayer thickness.
• Successfully retrieved the bilayer thickness gradient, showing good agreement with other techniques (XRR, conventional XRF, TEM).

Conclusions:

• The realized GEXRF setup serves as a proof-of-principle for nanometer-resolved elemental depth profiling.
• The soft X-ray GEXRF technique with a laboratory source shows significant potential for industrial applications.
• This method opens possibilities for in-line or in-situ process control in semiconductor manufacturing.