An X-ray epitaxial film interferometer as a tool for studying the structure of a semiconductor heterosystem

An X-ray epitaxial film interferometer is described that makes it possible to measure the deflections of the atomic planes of a film, which art: paral lel to the interface, with a sensitivity of several tenth of an angstrom. T he size of the region under study in the interface plane ranges from severa l tens of microns to centimeters. As a result, a change in the angle of inc lination of the reflecting atomic planes of 0.002"-2" is recorded. A single -crystal Si substrate and a Si film grown using the molecular-beam epitaxy technique serve as the diffracting crystals of the X-ray interferometer. Po rous silicon functions as a separating nondiffracting layer. The effect of earlier uncontrollable technological factors on the crystal lattice structu re of a semiconductor heterostructure was detected.