grazing incidence diffraction

Grazing incidence diffraction is a technique used to analyze very thin films or surfaces by shining X-rays or neutrons at a shallow angle, almost parallel to the surface. When the waves hit the surface at this glancing angle, they scatter off the atoms in the material. Because of the shallow angle, the technique is highly sensitive to surface and near-surface structures, revealing details about surface roughness, layer thickness, and atomic arrangement. This method is valuable for studying thin films, coatings, and nanostructures with high precision.