Open AccessDepth‐resolved compositional analysis of W/B 4 C multilayers using resonant soft X‐ray reflectivity
Author(s) -
Rao P. N.,
Goutam U. K.,
Kumar Prabhat,
Gupta Mukul,
Ganguli Tapas,
Rai S. K.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s1600577519002339
Subject(s) - xanes , boron carbide , boron , materials science , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , x ray reflectivity , analytical chemistry (journal) , layer (electronics) , x ray spectroscopy , absorption (acoustics) , carbide , spectroscopy , x ray , optics , chemistry , thin film , nanotechnology , nuclear magnetic resonance , metallurgy , composite material , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , chromatography
W/B 4 C multilayers (MLs) consisting of ten layer pairs with varying boron carbide layer thicknesses have been investigated. The ML structures were characterized using grazing‐incidence hard X‐ray reflectivity (GIXR), resonant soft X‐ray reflectivity (RSXR), hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES). Depth‐resolved spectroscopic information on the boron carbide layer in W/B 4 C MLs was extracted with sub‐nanometre resolution using reflectivity performed in the vicinity of the B K ‐edge. Interestingly, these results show that the composition of boron carbide films is strongly dependent on layer thicknesses. HAXPES measurements suggest that most of the boron is in the chemical state of B 4 C in the multilayer structures. XANES measurements suggest an increase in boron content and C—B—C bonding with increase in boron carbide layer thickness.