Compact X-ray microscopes for EUV- and soft X-radiation with spectral imaging capabilities

• We report on a compact full-field transmission microscope (CTXM) and a scanning transmission microscope (CST'XM) developed for imaging at laboratory scale X-ray sources. The microscopes are based on zone plates for imaging in the EUV and water window region (wavelength 2.3 nm to 4.4 mn). The radiation for the full-field microscope is generated by focusing short laser pulses with an energy of 100 mJ on a 20 gm cryogenic liquid nitrogen jet. A condenser zone plate in conjunction with an aperture is used to provide monochromatic sample illumination. This allows for easy wavelength selection within the N-2,-Emission spectrum. Thus, the presented setup offers the possibility of spectral imaging. A micro zone plate generates a magnified image detected by a back illuminated TE-cooled CCD camera (1,340 x 1,300 pixel). The actual configuration provides magnifications up to 1,000x at exposure times in a range of a few ten minutes with sub-100 nm resolution. Our compact scanning microscope (CSTXM) operates with a zone plate, focusing the radiation onto a sample which is placed on a piezo driven xy-stage with 1 nm lateral resolution. Using high-harmonic radiation at 13 nm wavelength sub-micron resolution is achieved. With light at 17 nm wavelength originating from the O-VI emission line of a laser plasma source based on an ethanol jet, 500 nm structures were imaged in less than 20 minutes resulting in an 100 x 40 pixel image.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Atom- och molekylfysik och optik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

full-field X-ray microscopy

scanning X-ray microscopy

zone plate

laser plasma source

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)