Visualization of the Surface Roughness by X-ray Scanning

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Protopopov, V.V. | Danilov, V.V.

Affiliations: The Institute of Physics and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117218 Moscow, Nakhimovskii Pr. 34, Russia. e-mail: proto@labdif.crystal.msk.su

Abstract: In the x-ray region the reflectivity of a superpolished surface strongly depends on its roughness. This effect may be used to obtain a two-dimensional map of the roughness spatial distribution for flat surfaces with an average roughness height of the order of one nanometer or less. The method described in the paper lies in the illumination of the sample by a highly collimated x-ray beam, and a linear one-dimensional scanning of the sample with simultaneous registration of the specular component of the reflected beam by multielement linear detector. This method may be used to monitor the surface quality of silicon semiconductor wafers, computer hard disks, x-ray and laser mirror substrates etc.

Keywords: roughness, x-ray, reflection, scanning, linear detector

Journal: Journal of Visualization, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 63-70, 2000