Phase-Sensitive Specular Neutron Reflectometry for Imaging the Nanometer Scale Compositional Depth profile of Thin-Film Materials

Published

November 20, 2011

Author(s)

Brian Kirby, Paul A. Kienzle, Brian B. Maranville, Norman F. Berk, J. Krycka, Frank Heinrich, Charles Majkrzak

Abstract

Neutron reflectometry is a powerful method for probing the molecular scale structure of both hard and soft condensed matter films. Moreover, the phase-sensitive methods which have been developed make it possible for specular neutron reflectometry to be effectively employed as a an imaging device of the composition depth profile of thin film materials with a spatial resolution approaching a fraction of a nanometer. The image of the cross-sectional distribution of matter in the film obtained in such a way can be shown to be, in most cases, unambiguous to a degree limited primarily only by the range and statistical uncertainty of the reflectivity data available. The application of phase-sensitive neutron reflectometry (PSNR) to the study of several types of soft matter thin film systems are illustrated by a number of specific examples from recent studies.

Citation

Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science

Volume

17

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

neutron, reflectivity, phase-sensitive, thin films, multilayers, composition depth profile

Citation

Kirby, B. , Kienzle, P. , Maranville, B. , Berk, N. , Krycka, J. , Heinrich, F. and Majkrzak, C. (2011), Phase-Sensitive Specular Neutron Reflectometry for Imaging the Nanometer Scale Compositional Depth profile of Thin-Film Materials, Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909601 (Accessed October 10, 2025)