Quantitative interface roughness analysis of Fe/Cr superlattices

The quantitative characterization of the interface roughness of Fe/Cr superlattices is necessary for the understanding of the transport properties of such structures. This must include both vertical and lateral roughness components. The information can be obtained by specular and off-specular X-ray diffraction and conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy. We show how models describing specular and diffuse X-ray diffraction can be applied to extract quantitative data. The robustness of such data can be further enhanced using anomalous scattering, leading to an enhanced material contrast for Fe/Cr. Similarity and complementarity of the X-ray diffraction results with the Mossbauer data are discussed. (C) 1998 Academic Press.