Quantification of multiple crystallite orientations in complex thin film materials

As thin films and interfaces have become more intricate, the morphological and structural information also grows in complexity. An increasing amount of studies have focused on understanding correlations between crystallite orientation and electronic structure. Crystallite orientation within thin films is studied using grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) patterns, where the Miller indices of a crystal structure are related to the scattering reflections. GIWAXS can be used to elucidate crystallite orientations within a thin film by comparing the azimuthal distribution of specific miller indices. However, as thin film technologies advance, there is a growing need to quantify the orientational distribution of similar thin films or also for multiple orientations within a single thin film in a comparative manner. Herein, we present a new method for quantifying the orientational distribution of crystallites, dubbed the Mosaicity Factor (MF). The efficacy of this method will first be studied using a model system consisting of Gaussian distributions. We will highlight the strengths and capabilities of MF when characterizing multiple gaussian shapes and overcoming signal noise. Case studies will be used to show the range of applications available and the strengths of MF.