Aeris has evolved. Benchtop X-ray reflectometry has never been so simple.

We recently launched X-ray reflectometry (XRR) capabilities on our updated Aeris instrument. Compatible with Aeris’s sample changer, this evolution enables simple reflectometry measurements, without the need for a dedicated platform or complex alignment.

In the launch webinar, our experts Dr. Martin Schreyer and Dr. Gwilherm Nénert demonstrated how Aeris performs XRR without requiring complex reconfiguration. That accessibility opens up thin-film and surface analysis for labs across industries – from coatings to batteries, semiconductors, and more.

Here’s what you need to know.

Key takeaways

1. XRD tells you what the material is; XRR tells you about its surface. XRD identifies crystal structure and phase, while XRR measures surface-level characteristics including thickness, density, and roughness.
2. With Aeris, you can run XRR and XRD on one platform, switching between techniques with minimal adaptation.
3. Conventional XRR requires careful sample alignment, which can increase measurement time and introduce opportunities for operator dependent variability. With Aeris, simply load and measure – no dedicated platform or specialized optics required.
4. Aeris captures a full 2D image at each angle instead of a single data point, giving you the reflectivity curve plus extra structural information in the orthogonal direction, with control over how much of it you integrate.

In thin film analysis, precision is non-negotiable

XRR’s key use is to characterize thin films. In many applications, a few nanometers can make the difference between peak performance and product failure.

Take semiconductor manufacturing. Gate oxides – the insulating layers that separate a transistor’s control gate from the underlying semiconductor channel – are generally only nanometers thick and controlling that thickness is critical. Too thin, and current leaks through and the device overheats. Too thick, and switching slows, negatively impacting performance. Verifying these layers non-destructively, at nanometer-scale precision, is exactly what XRR is built to do.

A 2025 study on modern gate dielectrics illustrates the stakes: researchers used XRR to compare doped and undoped HfO₂ films and found that even subtle differences in interfacial layer density and surface roughness corresponded to measurable changes in electrical performance.

Functional coatings provide another example. These are the protective, optical, and magnetic films used across energy storage, electronics, and manufacturing. Whether a coating performs comes down to how thick it is, how smooth it is, and whether it formed cleanly, without defects at the interface. XRR reveals all of this without cutting into or damaging the sample.

This importance extends to buried interfaces that even an atomic force microscope can’t reach. In a 2023 study on an emerging room-temperature magnetic thin film, researchers found that XRR-measured surface roughness came out higher than the value obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The authors attributed this difference in part to XRR’s ability to sense roughness at the buried film-substrate interface, beneath the surface AFM was limited to.

Aeris takes XRR from specialist technique to standard practice

XRR has traditionally been considered a complex, specialist technique. Conventional setups required careful sample alignment, long recognized as the technique’s most common source of measurement error, with published research noting that alignment on commercial reflectometers is difficult to control and depends heavily on operator skill.

Traditional XRR setups have also typically required dedicated floor-standing systems and specialized optics, putting the technique out of reach for many labs running routine analysis. Aeris’ advanced software and alignment-free design have changed that, bringing XRR to a compact, accessible benchtop platform.

How Aeris makes XRR routine

The key is combining frame-based 1D measurement with advanced 2D detector technology. Rather than a single-point detector, Aeris captures a 2D image at each angle and lets you choose how much of it to integrate. That image carries the reflectivity curve you need, as well as additional information in the orthogonal direction that can be evaluated during data processing. Plus, because the full image is available, good XRR data can be obtained even with small sample displacements, removing the need for careful alignment.

The result is straightforward, alignment-free XRR – just load and measure, with no dedicated platform or specialized optics.

Combined XRR and XRD analysis; no complex switching

On the Aeris platform, XRR and XRD sit side-by-side in one compact, versatile instrument, putting routine diffraction and thin-film analysis on the same bench. Switching between the two techniques requires little more than a slit exchange: simply measure a powder XRD sample, then an XRR sample straight afterwards, and the instrument will prompt you if a part needs changing before you can continue. No added complexity; minimal opportunity for error.

To get the full picture of what the Aeris is capable of, catch up on the launch webinar with Dr. Martin Schreyer and Dr. Gwilherm Nénert.

If you want to see what Aeris could do for your lab, contact our team.