Specular X-ray reflectivity and small angle neutron scattering for structure determination of ordered mesoporous dielectric films.

Specular X-ray reflectivity (SXR) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) are used to characterize the structure of a thin film containing cylindrical mesopores. The 3-D structure of the mesoporous film was determined from SANS measurements taken at multiple rotation angles between the incident beam and the film. The film was found to be composed of a randomly packed core and surface layers within which the hollow cylinders were regularly packed and oriented along the surface.