Veldhuis, SA, Brinks, P, Stawski, TM et al. (2 more authors) (2014) A facile method for the density determination of ceramic thin films using X-ray reflectivity. Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology, 71 (1). 118 - 128. ISSN 0928-0707
Abstract
A fast and non-destructive method based on X-ray reflectivity was developed to determine the density of sol-gel derived ceramic thin films, without prior assumptions on the microstructure of the system. The thin film density is calculated from the critical angle θc, i.e. the maximum angle at which total external reflection is still observed, which becomes increasingly difficult for imperfect films. We propose a simple numerical approach, instead of laborious fitting procedures, to determine the thin film density. A pseudo-critical angle, θpc, was defined by the first minimum in the 3rd derivative of the reflectivity curves. The measured samples were compared with calibration curves obtained from simulations with changing film densities. Although the absolute positions of θc and θpc are different, similar shifts are observed with changing density. The accuracy of the described method was validated by determining the density of single crystal substrates (ρrel = 100 %) and by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy in combination with scanning electron microscopy. Varying sample size, film thickness, and film/interface roughness of yttria-stabilized zirconia films were found to have no influence on the final calculated density.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2014, Springer. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3336-2 |
Keywords: | Density; Sol-gel; Thin film; X-ray reflectivity |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 29 Sep 2014 13:41 |
Last Modified: | 18 Jun 2015 17:39 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10971-014-3336-2 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10971-014-3336-2 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:80328 |