Morphology of nanocermet thin films: X-ray scattering study

The morphology of ceramic-metal (cermet) thin films is studied by surface-s ensitive X-ray scattering techniques. Grazing incidence small angle X-ray s cattering (GISAXS) experiments carried out at LURE with a 2D detector show that metal clusters of nanometer size, known as nanoparticles, are disperse d in the thin film. Analyses of the X-ray reflectivity along with the diffu se scattering allow to predict the formation of layers of nanoparticles alo ng the growth direction of the films. The formation of such cumulative-diso rdered layers in one direction is likely to be related to the boundary cond ition in the reduced dimension. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights r eserved.