X-ray diffraction from surfaces and interfaces

Synchrotron radiation sources are increasingly being used for X-ray diffraction experiments on surfaces, solid-solid interfaces and solid-liquid buried interfaces. We review the basic principles of X-ray diffraction from truncated crystal lattices and demonstrate how this technique is used for the determination of their structure and atomic-scale roughness. We have selected two examples: the interface between crystalline and amorphized Si(001) and the interface between liquid Ga and diamond(111).