A new dynamical diffraction-based technique of residual stress measurements in thin films

The recently discovered dynamical diffraction effect ‘neutron camel’ was used for residual stress measurements in a thick Si (111) crystal coated with a 2000 A-thick Ni film. The observed asymmetry of the back-face rocking curve corresponds to the bending radius of ∼19 km and the tension force applied to the Ni film is ∼90 N/m. Relative deformation of the Si crystallographic cells in the vicinity of diffractive surfaces is |∂uz/∂z|≈1.6×10-6.