Sub-15 nm beam confinement by two crossed x-ray waveguides

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• X-ray Microscopy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Generating a high-intensity, quasi-point X-ray source is crucial for high-resolution imaging.
• Traditional X-ray sources often lack the necessary spatial coherence and intensity for nanoscale applications.
• Planar X-ray waveguides offer potential for manipulating X-ray beams but require further development for source applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an effective quasi-point X-ray source by combining two high-transmission planar X-ray waveguides.
• To reconstruct the near-field distribution of the X-ray source and demonstrate its imaging capabilities.
• To achieve sub-15 nm resolution in both dimensions for advanced X-ray microscopy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a crossed geometry using two high-transmission planar X-ray waveguides.
• Measurement of the far-field diffraction pattern to retrieve near-field phase and amplitude.
• Application of the error-reduction algorithm for inverse calculation of the exit wave intensity distribution.
• Validation using finite difference field simulations (forward calculation).

Main Results:

• The crossed waveguide device effectively functions as a quasi-point X-ray source.
• The reconstructed exit wave intensity distribution shows a full width at half maximum (FWHM) below 15 nm in both dimensions.
• Finite difference field simulations confirm the experimental results.
• Successful demonstration of holographic imaging using the developed X-ray source.

Conclusions:

• The crossed planar X-ray waveguide geometry provides a viable method for creating a high-resolution quasi-point X-ray source.
• The achieved sub-15 nm resolution opens new possibilities for nanoscale X-ray imaging and metrology.
• This technique is suitable for advanced applications such as holographic imaging of nanostructures.