Owing to non-destructive analysis, simple sample preparation and flexible measurement environment compared with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique, x-ray diffraction (XRD) has been widely used for materials characterization in the semiconductor industry. Average material properties can be obtained through various XRD techniques. In this article common x-ray diffraction techniques employed in the semiconductor industry will be thoroughly introduced with several case studies. It will help readers to further understand the XRD technique.