X-RAY AND NEUTRON REFLECTIVITY

The general concepts of x-ray and neutron reflectivity are outlined. T heoretical principles are discussed at the beginning where both, the o ptical treatment based on the solution of the Helmholtz equation and t he kinematical scattering formalism are given. Afterwards experimental standard setups are presented, and a small fraction of the work that has been done in the past is discussed. The examples deal with scatter ing from liquid thin films and polymer films where x-ray and neutron r eflectivity are almost unique probes to obtain structural information. This is in particular true for polymer/polymer interfaces where neutr on reflectivity has one of its most prominent applications. Other exam ples show how oxidation processes can be monitored by x-ray reflectivi ty and how layer systems of technological importance, here CoSi2 layer s, can be quantitatively characterized. Furthermore off-specular scatt ering is briefly discussed and its importance for a complete analysis emphazised.