Application of a grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction technique to the depth-resolved analysis of structural transformations due to surface treatments

An experimental set up for X-ray diffraction experiments at grazing incidence is described. Adjustment and calibration procedures are defined. It allows identification of phases at increasing depth in thin films, with a resolution of 50 nm, by varying the incidence angle above the critical angle of specular reflection. Some examples are given to illustrate the potential of the technique in studies of the effects of surface treatments on bulk specimens. The examples are implantation films with thicknesses between 50 and 500 nm, and also rough films resulting from friction tests of these implanted surfaces.