Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The interfacial structure of Pt/Nb and Pt/Ni sputtered multilayer films was studied using x-ray diffraction in symmetric, asymmetric, and grazing incidence modes. The grazing incidence and asymmetric diffraction were used to distinguish alloying effects on the lattice spacing from strain in the films. This strain was shown to be consistent with semi-coherent interfaces in the Pt/Ni but not in the Pt/Nb in which another strain generating mechanism dominates.