STUDY OF MULTILAYER SUBSTRATE SURFACE-ROUGHNESS USING RBS WITH IMPROVED DEPTH RESOLUTION

In magnetic superlattices the thickness of the layers and their interface structure are determinant for the magnetic properties. However, the 5 nm depth resolution normally achieved with the RBS technique is not enough to allow the study of these systems. In this paper, depth resolutions down to 1.2 nm, recently achieved in RBS measurements of Co/Re superlattices using grazing angle of incidence, are compared to computer simulations, and good agreement is found. The effect of the substrate surface roughness is taken into account using a simple phenomenological model. A way to further improve the depth resolution is also discussed.