Lateral correlation in mesoscopic structures on the silicon (001) surface determined by grating x-ray diffuse scattering.

High-resolution x-ray-diffraction study from a mesoscopic scale grating surface of Si ~001! reveals a diffusescattering peak superimposed on each grating superlattice peak. It is shown that the diffuse scattering arises from a correlated size imhomogeneity produced during the oxidation and fabrication processes. A simple two-level model is presented to explain the experimental data. It provides a quantitative way to characterize the imperfections in a large array of mesoscopic structures.