Influence of roughness distributions and correlations on x-ray diffraction from superlattices.

Interfacial roughness in superlattices is currently a topic of significant interest as a result of its impact on device applications and its influence on thin-film phenomena. In this work we examine the effects of interfacial roughness on x-ray diffraction from superlattices. By means of a Taylor expansion of the amplitude reflection coefficient of the multilayer, we present general expressions for the specular, diffuse, and total diffracted intensity from a rough multilayer and examine how these quantities are influenced by roughness distributions and correlations among the interfaces