Materials Science at the Swiss Light Source

Abstract

This article describes a state-of-the-art hard X-ray beamline for materials science at a third-generation synchrotron light source presently being commissioned in Switzerland, together with two typical pieces of experimental work for which the beamline is being optimized. After a discussion of the motivation, photon source, optics and experimental stations of the beam line, we present the results of some X-ray scattering studies of order–disorder phenomena that were recently performed at other synchrotron radiation sources (HASYLAB, Hamburg, and ESRF, Grenoble). The phenomena to be discussed are spontaneous ordering in epitaxial AlxGa1-xAs films and confinement-induced ordering of colloidal solutions.