Chamber for in situ WAXS, SAXS and GISAXS studies: application to plasma induced transformations in steels

A chamber for in situ WAXS, SAXS and GISAXS studies of polycrystalline and amorphous materials was designed and constructed. It is used under vacuum or filled with a gas mixture to operate as a reactor where a plasma for materials surface treatment is produced. The WAXS intensity is recorded by an external imaging plate moving parallel to the chamber axis, making it possible to obtain successive patterns during in situ studies of structural transformations. The chamber is also used for classical SAXS and GISAXS studies of thin films.