Schematic representation of laue technique:
A single crystal is mounted on a goniometer (enables the crystal to be rotate
through known angles in two perpendicular planes)
It is irradiated by a beam of X- ray ranging wavelengths from about 0.2 to
2.0 A0 .
The crystal selects out and diffracts through values of λ, 'd' and glancing
angle θ, satisfying Bragg equation.
A flat photographic film is placed to receive either the transmitted
diffracted beam or the reflected diffracted beam. The resulting diffraction
pattern consists of a series of spots called Laue spots.
Sharp well defined spots on the film are good evidence of a perfect crystal
structure where as diffuse broken or extended spots indicate lattice
distortion, defects or other departures from the perfect crystal lattice. The
laue pattern reveals the symmetry of the crystal structure.
This method is mainly applicable to single crystals. This is also called as
Laue back reflection method.
Reflection spots:
Large crystals (large grains)
¡ when the grain size is greater than 0.04mm we can get fewer number of
spots in the photographic film.
Very small grains (fine grains)
¡ When the grains of the crystal are very fine (= 0.0004 mm) then in the
photographic film we can get continuous rings instead of spots.
Distorted (or) Strained crystals
¡ Instead of spots, if the pattern contains Streaks then the crystal is a strained
one.
It is difficult to use this method for the determination of unit cell dimensions
because the extact value of a is not known for the different reflections. So Laue
method is limited to the study of crystal orientations.
The position of the Laue spot on the photographic film depends on the orientation
of the crystal relative to the incident beam direction
This method is used to the study of crystal orientation and to verify the
crystal symmetry. Further using this method one can identify the lattice
strains and lattice imperfections.
An interpretation of the reflection spots in the photographic film leads to
know about the crystal structure of the specimen.
Laue equations:
So - unit vector along the direction of incident radiation
S - unit vector along the direction of the diffracted beam
a - translational vector along y from one point to other
Path difference = (13)-(24) = hλ
(13)-(24) = (a cos α- a cos αo)
where, α is the angle of diffracted beam and α o is the angle of incident beam
w.r.t. y.
In vector notations
h λ = a (S - S0)
Diffraction cone:
When the x-ray pass through and by the atoms in the crystal. Then the direction at
which the beam gets diffracted makes a cone of fixed angle. If the radiation S o
coming at an angle αo. it will make a cone with the angle α for a diffraction.
¡ In case of all three directions, x-ray diffraction happens along a cone with
respect to a particular direction, Laue gave three equations may be written
as
a (cos α - cosαo) = hλ
b(cos β - cos βo) = kλ.
C(cos γ - cosγ0) = lλ.
¡ These equations correspond to each of three crystals axes needed to
represent the atomic arrangement in the crystal. For a diffracted beam to
occur, these three equations must be satisfied simultaneously.
¡ The Laue equations provide a rigorous and mathematically correct way to
describe diffraction by crystals.
¡ The drawback is that they are difficult to use.
¡ The alternative theory of diffraction based on Bragg's law is mush simpler
and is used almost universally in solid state.
