Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction on thin films and its application to superconducting samples

Energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction is applied to investigate double-layer PBCO/YBCO thin films deposited by laser ablation. The merits of this technique for the structural study of films are discussed. It is shown that the rocking curves of the Bragg reflections of a film along the c direction can be simultaneously collected, allowing the accurate evaluation of its angular spread. A systematic displacement of the rocking curves of the film with respect to those of the substrate was found, revealing a slight divergence of the growth direction from the normal to the substrate surface. (orig.)