The structural state of epitaxial ZnO layers assessed by measuring the integral intensity of three- and two-beam X-ray diffraction

Three-beam X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been measured using the Renninger scheme in epitaxial ZnO layers with various thicknesses and degrees of crystal perfection. The integral intensity of three-beam XRD reflections has been analyzed and compared to that of two-beam reflections in the Bragg and Laue geometry. It is established that, for thin ZnO layers grown in the presence of excess oxygen, the integral intensity of three-beam diffraction peaks and Laue reflections is much smaller than that for layers of the same thickness grown in the presence of excess zinc. This fact is explained by the formation of a textured sublayer in the former case.