X-ray diffraction
Laboratory

The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory at the Department of Semiconductor Materials Engineering is equipped with a state-of-the-art Empyrean X-ray diffractometer manufactured by Malvern Panalytical. This diffractometer enables measurements of a wide range of materials — from powders and bulk solids to thin films and epitaxial layers or structures. The instrument is equipped with Cu, Mo, and Ag X-ray tubes, allowing for flexible adaptation to different experimental needs. The diffractometer setup includes various sample stages, such as:

• a stage for powder measurements in Bragg–Brentano geometry,
• a stage dedicated to thin film measurements without height correction,
• and a five-axis sample stage for high-precision alignment.

Additionally, the laboratory is equipped with low- and high-temperature sample chambers enabling measurements within the temperature range from 12 K to 700 K, as well as diamond anvil cells allowing high-pressure studies up to 15 GPa. Such comprehensive equipment allows for a broad spectrum of material investigations, including the determination of the following structural parameters: Powder diffraction:

• phase identification,
• stress measurements (sin²ψ method),
• thin film analysis using grazing incidence diffraction (GIX)
• X-ray reflectometry (XRR),
• pole figure measurements.

High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD):

• rocking curve measurements,
• reciprocal space mapping (RSM),
• determination of composition and strain in epitaxial structures,
• dislocation density evaluation,
• analysis of the shape and size of quantum dots (QDs) in epitaxial layers.

Non-ambient measurements:

• high-pressure studies up to 15 GPa,
• low-temperature measurements in the range of 12 K to 300 K or 70 K to 300 K (liquid nitrogen),
• high-temperature measurements from room temperature (~298 K) up to ~700 K, performed either in air or under controlled gas atmospheres.