When a fluid flow at the speed of sound over a thin sharp flat plate over the leading edge at low incident angle at low Reynolds Number. Then a laminar boundary layer will be developed at the leading edge of the plate. And as there are viscous boundary layer, the plate will have a fictitious boundary layer so that a curved induced shock wave will be generated at the leading edge of the plate.
The shock layer is the region between the plate surface and the boundary layer. This shock layer be further subdivided into layer of viscid and inviscid flow, according to the values of Mach number, Reynolds Number and Surface Temperature. However, if the entire layer is viscous, it is called as merged shock layer.