An x-ray sensitive CCD camera system and its application to the x-ray diffractometric investigation on area selective semiconductor epitaxy

X-ray sensitive electronic camera systems are widely used in the field of non-destructive testing by means of x-rays. The CCD camera system presented here fulfills two important requirements of the technique of laterally resolving high resolution diffractometry, which is a combination of high resolution x-ray diffractometry and double-crystal x-ray topography: a comparatively high two-dimensional resolution of 20 mu m and single photon counting. Here photon detection is based on the so-called ''indirect'' principle, i.e. the x-ray quanta are first converted into Visible light in a polycrystalline phosphor. This light is then amplified in a one-stage microchannel image intensifier and eventually detected in the CCD. Essential in the definition of the detector was an optimization regarding the trade-off between resolution and detection efficiency in all parts of the detector chain of phosphor - fiber optics - image intensifier - fiber optics - CCD. The performance of the system is discussed and its use in double-crystal x-ray topography and laterally resolving high resolution diffractometry is demonstrated. The SiGe/Si sample investigated was grown by means of area selective liquid phase epitaxy.