Roughness estimation of polycrystalline iron surface under high temperature by small glancing angle X-ray scattering

Characterization of polycrystalline iron surfaces before and after baking at 500degreesC for 20 h in a vacuum of 10(-6) Pa is performed by small glancing angle X-ray scattering with use of a compact ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) X-ray diffractometer. A broadening of the scattered X-ray intensity profiles at a small glancing angle incidence of the X-ray appears on the baked specimen. The experimental results are compared with calculated simulation with some surface structure models, and show that the roughness of the surface after the baking is estimated to be about ten times of that before baking. This result is consistent with the result of AFM observation, and shows that glancing angle X-ray scattering with the use of a compact UHV X-ray diffractometer is a useful technique for non-destructive inspection of industrial material surfaces.