SPECULAR X-RAY REFLECTIVITY STUDIES OF MICROSTRUCTURE AND ORDERING INSELF-ASSEMBLED MULTILAYERS

Specular x-ray reflectivity has been used to probe the structures of s elf-assembled monolayers and multilayers deposited using a three-step siloxane-based self-assembly technique that is repeated to form period ic multilayers. In films containing up to ten trilayers, it is found t hat the film thickness increases linearly as a function of the number of trilayers with no observable change in the surface roughness, Bragg peaks corresponding to the inter-trilayer spacing are observed. Both of these results indicate high structural regularity in these self-ass embled multilayers. In self-assembled films with different constituent molecular building blocks, substantial and unexpected changes in the film structure occur as a result of subtle changes in the layers. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.