Characterization of trace embedded impurities in thin multilayer structures using synchrotron X-ray standing waves

X-ray standing wave (XSW) field generated under Bragg reflection condition in a periodic Mo/Si multilayer structure has been used to determine the concentration and location of various trace element contaminants embedded in different layers of that multilayer structure. We have used intense synchrotron X rays for XSW analysis. It is observed that various trace element impurities such as Cr, Fe, Ni and W get embedded unintentionally in the multilayer structure during the deposition process. Consequences of such impurity incorporation on the optical properties of the multilayer structure are discussed in hard and soft X-ray regions. Present measurements are important in order to optimize the deposition methods on one hand and to better correlate the measured optical properties of a multilayer structure with theoretical models on the other. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.