X-ray study of the structure and order in lithographic Cu3Au nano-cuboids

• Published in: Europhysics letters 2002-06, Vol.58 (5), p.737-743
• Main Authors: Schülli, T, Trenkler, J, Mönch, I, Bolloc'h, D. Le, Dosch, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 61.10.Eq; 68.35.Rh; 68.65.-k; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Exact sciences and technology; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Physics; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
• ISSN: 0295-5075; 1286-4854
• DOI: 10.1209/epl/i2002-00411-9

We present a structural and thermodynamic study of lithographically produced Cu3Au nano-structures on a sample which contained both an array of periodically arranged nano-cuboids with a size of $200\times 200\times 13$ nm3 and a closed thin film. It is shown that the coherence features of the X-ray beam and the periodical arrangement of the nano-structures give rise to an unusual interference pattern which is exploited as a control tool for the sample quality during the experiment. With this in hand, the L12-A2 phase transformation in the nano-structures is investigated together with the behaviour of the thin film which can be compared in situ. The temperature-dependent study at this order-disorder phase transformation yields a remarkable difference in the transition temperature Tc, where Tc of the nano-cuboids is about 200 K lower than in the closed film.