ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY AND X-RAY-DIFFRACTION STUDY OF SURFACE AND INTERFACE ROUGHNESS IN NB CU MULTILAYERS/

We report on the combined use of X-ray diffraction and atomic force mi croscopy for the structural characterization of Nb/Cu multilayers. Ana lysis of the X-ray diffraction spectra yields the average interface ro ughness, which can be compared with the surface roughness obtained fro m atomic force microscopy experiments. It is found that high-angle dif fraction averages over a lateral length scale which is comparable to t he average grain size in the multilayers.