Reference-free combined X-ray reflectivity and grazing Incidence X-ray fluorescence analysis: metrological and technical aspects

The precise characterization of thin layers in microelectronics or related fields is more and more challenging as the targeted thicknesses are decreasing into the nanometer range. Combined XRR-GIXRF analysis is a powerful technique that combines the advantages of the elemental sensitivity of X-ray fluorescence with the thickness and density sensitivity of X-ray reflectivity. This method is performed in a reference-free mode which relies on the precise knowledge of some physical quantities.