Thin film technology is rapidly evolving today, and the characterization of the thin film and its surface have become very important issue not only from scientific but also technological viewpoints. Although x-ray diffraction measurements have been used as suitable evaluation methods in crystallography studies, its application to the structural evaluation of the thin films, especially organic one having the low electron densities, is not easy due to the small amounts of scattering volume and the high obstructive scattering noise from the substrate. However, the x-ray diffraction measurements under grazing incidence will aid not only in overcoming the such problems but also in analyzing in-plane structure of the thin films. Therefore, so-called grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXD) has been recognized as one of the most powerful tools for the surface and thin film studies.
Fundamental insights in PLGA degradation from thin film studies