X Ray Diffuse Scattering From Self Organized Mesoscopic Semiconductor Structures

This monograph represents a critical survey of the outstanding capabilities of X-ray diffuse scattering for the structural characterization of mesoscopic material systems. The mesoscopic regime comprises length scales ranging from a few up to some hundreds of nanometers. It is of particular relevance at semiconductor layer systems where, for example, interface roughness or low-dimensional objects such as quantum dots and quantum wires have attracted much interest. An extensive overview of the present state-of-the-art theory of X-ray diffuse scattering at mesoscopic structures is given followed by a valuable description of various experimental techniques. Selected up-to-date examples are discussed. The aim of the present book is to combine aspects of self-organized growth of mesoscopic structures with corresponding X-ray diffuse scattering experiments.

Annotation Beginning with a concise review of the physics and chemistry of polymers and their structure and morphology, this book goes on to describe and explain the common methods of characterizing polymers, including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, among others. Also covered are the characterization and modification of such surface properties as adhesion, wetting, tribology, and surface thermodynamics.

In the last couple of decades, high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices based on semiconductor heterostructures have been required to obtain increasingly strict and well-defined performances, needing a detailed control, at the atomic level, of the structural composition of the buried interfaces. This goal has been achieved by an improvement of the epitaxial growth techniques and by the parallel use of increasingly sophisticated characterization techniques and of refined theoretical models based on ab initio approaches. This book deals with description of both characterization techniques and theoretical models needed to understand and predict the structural and electronic properties of semiconductor heterostructures and nanostructures. Comprehensive collection of the most powerful characterization techniques for semiconductor heterostructures and nanostructures Most of the chapters are authored by scientists that are among the top 10 worldwide in publication ranking of the specific field Each chapter starts with a didactic introduction on the technique The second part of each chapter deals with a selection of top examples highlighting the power of the specific technique to analyze the properties of semiconductors

The study of semiconductor-layer structures using infrared ellipsometry is a rapidly growing field within optical spectroscopy. This book offers basic insights into the concepts of phonons, plasmons and polaritons, and the infrared dielectric function of semiconductors in layered structures. It describes how strain, composition, and the state of the atomic order within complex layer structures of multinary alloys can be determined from an infrared ellipsometry examination. Special emphasis is given to free-charge-carrier properties, and magneto-optical effects. A broad range of experimental examples are described, including multinary alloys of zincblende and wurtzite structure semiconductor materials, and future applications such as organic layer structures and highly correlated electron systems are proposed.

This systematic and comprehensive monograph is devoted to parametric X-ray radiation (PXR). This radiation is generated by the motion of electrons inside a crystal, whereby the emitted photons are diffracted by the crystal and the radiation intensity critically depends on the parameters of the crystal structure. Nowadays PXR is the subject of numerous theoretical and experimental studies throughout the world. The first part of the book is a theoretical treatment of PXR, which includes a new approach to describe the radiation process in crystals. The second part is a survey of PXR experimental results and the possible applications of PXR as a tool for crystal structure analysis and a source of tunable X-ray radiation.

The field of semiconductor nanostructures is of enormous and still-growing research interest. On one hand, they are already realized in mass products such as high-electron-mobility field-effect transistors and quantum-well lasers. On the other hand, they allow, in specially tailored systems, the investigation of fundamental properties such as many-particle interactions of electrons in reduced dimensions. This book bridges the gap between general semiconductor textbooks and research articles.

Three-dimensional x-ray diffraction (3DXRD) microscopy is a novel experimental method for structural characterisation of polycrystalline materials. The position, morphology, phase, strain and crystallographic orientation of hundreds of grains or sub-grain embedded within mm-cm thick specimens can be determined simultaneously. Furthermore, the dynamics of the individual structural elements can be monitored during typical processes such as deformation or annealing. The book gives a comprehensive account of the methodology followed by a summary of selected applications. The method is presented from a mathematical/crystallographic point-of-view but with sufficient hands-on details to enable the reader to plan his or her own experiments. The scope of applications includes work in materials science and engineering, geophysics, geology, chemistry and pharmaceutical science.