Study of Characterization of Thin Metallic Films by Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0094-YJL)

Introduction

In the case of metallic films, often poor knowledge of the precise (within, let us say, 5 nm) thickness of the film has made the estimate of elastic constants, based on SBS exclusively, unsatisfactory. This imprecision has sometimes been due to unavoidable surface undulations (inhomogeneous thickness) connected with the deposition technique, and the presence of strong surface and interface roughness. Great improvements in the speed of the measurements in the presence of low SBS ripple cross sections, typical of metals, obtained by means of a new experimental apparatus, will be reported elsewhere. In recent years, grazing angle x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectivity have been extensively used to study the structural properties of thin films and multilayers and the topography and morphology of their surfaces and interfaces.