X-ray scattering instrument for thin film analysis

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Materials of organic and hybrid origin play an important role at the University of Bayreuth. Particularly when they are structured on the nano and mesoscale. The instrument in question will be part of the Keylab Mesoscale Characterization: Scattering Techniques offering the new aspect of thin film characterization to be used by the researchers of the Bavarian Polymer Institute and the University of Bayreuth. The instrument allows the characterization of nanostructures in thin films. It is possible to determine object separations and object sizes in thin films as well as the separation of crystal planes and the orientation of the observed structures. The measurements can be carried out in various environmental conditions (temperature, atmosphere, E-field), in vacuum or air and is able to determine a broad range of length scales from sub nanometre up to 100 nanometres. Such a structural analysis is very relevant for many thin film systems, from solar cells and porous materials to very thin films and monolayers, because the nanostructur determines the functionality of many material systems. The instrument will allow several different measurement modes: GISAXS, GIWAXS and XRR (grazing incidence small and wide angle x-ray scattering and x-ray reflectivity) and allow to switch in an automised manner between the different measurement modes. Importantly, the measurements for the characterization of vertical electron density distributions will be carried out at the identical position like the structural analysis within the bulk of the film. With this instrument wewill be able to examine fundamental structure formation processes in thin films and probe their sensitivity to various processing parameters. This way it is possible to identify the parameters determinig the structure and to understand structural ageing processes.