Pushing the limits: an instrument for hard X-ray imaging below 20 nm

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Physics

Background:

• Hard X-ray microscopy offers non-destructive nanoscale imaging for diverse materials.
• Achieving 10nm resolution in hard X-ray microscopy demands advanced nanofocusing optics and high system stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel microscopy system designed for multilayer Laue lenses.
• To characterize the resolution and stability of the developed hard X-ray microscope.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a microscopy system incorporating multilayer Laue lenses.
• Characterization of system resolution and stability.
• Imaging experiments conducted at a synchrotron facility.

Main Results:

• The developed microscopy system accommodates multilayer Laue lenses for nanofocusing.
• Reported drift rates of approximately 2 nm/h.
• Achieved imaging resolution of 13 nm x 33 nm at 11.8 keV.

Conclusions:

• The presented hard X-ray microscopy system demonstrates high resolution and stability.
• The system is suitable for advanced nanoscale imaging applications.
• Further development in optics fabrication and system stability is crucial for pushing resolution limits.