The Role of 11B4C Interlayers in Enhancing Fe/Si Multilayer Performance for Polarized Neutron Mirrors

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2502.07507
• Publication Date: 2025-02-11
• Authors: Anton Zubayer; Fredrik Eriksson; Martin Falk; Marcus Lorentzon; Justinas Pališaitis; Christine Klauser; Gyula Nagy; Philipp M. Wolf; Eduardo Pitthan; Radek Holeňák; Daniel Primetzhofer; Gavin B. G. Stenning; Artur Glavic; Jochen Stahn; Samira Dorri; Per Eklund; Jens Birch; Naureen Ghafoor
• Keywords: Neutron irradiation

This study investigates the effects of incorporating 11B4C interlayers into Fe/Si multilayers, with a focus on interface quality, reflectivity, polarization, and magnetic properties for polarized neutron optics. It is found that introduction 1 {\AA} 2 significantly improves sharpness, reducing width preventing excessive Si diffusion Fe layers. X-ray reflectivity measurements show enhanced notable increase in polarization 30 period multilayers. The inclusion also helps prevent formation iron-silicides, improving both optical performance. However, impact less pronounced thicker-period multilayers (100 {\AA}), primarily due to ratio between layer widths. These results suggest offer promising route optimizing multilayer performance mirrors.