Geometrical optics modelling of grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence of nanoscaled objects

Abstract

X-ray Standing Wave (XSW) is a well established formalism for modelling Grazing Incidence X-ray Fluorescence (GIXRF) experiments. However, when probing nanostructured surfaces with complex morphology the effects of the interaction of the XSW with structure elements need to be investigated. This is not always easy and sometimes even not possible. In the present work a novel approach employing Geometrical Optics (GO) calculations is proposed. The model is employed for simulations of two different types of nano-particles distributed on a flat surface. It is shown that GO simulation yields results with good agreement when compared to absolute measurements even when XSW deteriorates.