STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF 3-COMPONENT FIBONACCI TA/AL MULTILAYER FILMS

A new class of quasiperiodic superlattice structures called three-component Fibonacci structures has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. These structures with the characteristic irrational intervals A, B, and C can be produced by the substitution rule A --> AC, C --> B, and B--> A. The projection method is applied to deal with the pattern and index of their diffraction spectrum. The analytical results are compared with the experimental one from three-component Fibonacci Ta/Al superlattices. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical calculations using the model for compositionally modulated multilayers. Some possible applications of these structures are discussed.