X-ray Rocking Curve (XRC) analysis is widely used with high resolution XRD systems for the evaluation of the layer thickness and periodicity of multilayer thin films, or for the composition of films in solid solution systems (also called mixed crystals). These parameters are crucial to the performance of electronic and optoelectronic device applications such as Si-Ge systems, GaAs-AlAs system, etc.
XRC analysis requires specialized software to compare the raw data with the calculated intensity profiles. It was not an easy task to find a best-fit model due to the wide variation of layer parameters, such as layer thicknesses, composition, strain, etc. — a simple least-square optimization procedure would have easily fallen into the traps of models with locally optimized states. In contrast, with the ever-increasing variation of functional thin film materials, an XRC analysis technique must be applicable to new material systems.
Here, Rigaku presents a sophisticated and powerful new XRC analysis program to respond to these requests. GlobalFit (Extended Rocking Curve Analysis) is equipped with a powerful fitting/optimizing algorithm and an expanded flexibility for applications in a wide range of material combinations.