XAFS at the Pacific Northwest Consortium-Collaborative Access Team undulator beamline

Area of Science:

• Synchrotron Radiation Science
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• The Advanced Photon Source (APS) hosts a new insertion device beamline operated by the Pacific Northwest Consortium-Collaborative Access Team (PNC-CAT).
• This beamline is specifically designed and optimized for X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the capabilities and initial operational experience of the new PNC-CAT beamline at the APS.
• To highlight the beamline's suitability for various research applications, including environmental studies and in-situ film growth.

Main Methods:

• The beamline utilizes an APS undulator A with full undulator scanning capabilities.
• Features a liquid nitrogen-cooled monochromator with interchangeable Si(111) and Si(311) crystals for a 3-50 keV energy range.
• Incorporates Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors and tapered capillaries for microbeam generation (1-3 micrometers and sub-micrometer spots).
• Equipped with a 13-element Germanium (Ge) detector for imaging and spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• The beamline achieves high photon fluxes up to 2x10^13 ph/sec.
• Demonstrates versatile microbeam capabilities for high-resolution analysis.
• Successfully applied in experimental studies within the environmental field and in-situ ultra-high vacuum (UHV) film growth.

Conclusions:

• The PNC-CAT beamline at the APS is a powerful and flexible instrument for XAFS research.
• Its advanced optics and detector systems enable detailed microbeam imaging and spectroscopy.
• The beamline is ready for diverse scientific investigations, offering significant advantages for materials characterization.