High resolution backscattering studies of nanostructured magnetic and semiconducting materials

Low dimension structures raises inevitably new technological challenges in materials science. The new structures must fulfill stringent requirements in composition, crystalline quality and interface sharpness among others. We present and discuss the results of Si/Ge quantum structures and FePt/C multilayer structures deposited at different temperatures by ion beam sputtering. Evidence for the presence of FePt nanoparticles embedded in the C matrix and Ge islands in Ge/Si multilayers structures was found. Size and stoichiometry of the nanoparticles and the multilayer periodicity was obtained using Rutherford backscattering at grazing angles of incidence. The strain state of the single crystalline layers was determined by tilt axis channelling.