Copper electroforming replication process for soft x-ray mirrors

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• X-ray Optics

Background:

• Ellipsoidal mirrors are crucial for soft x-ray focusing in applications like x-ray microscopy.
• Non-magnetic materials are essential for components near samples in certain x-ray microscopy setups.
• Existing fabrication methods may not meet the stringent accuracy and material requirements for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel copper electroforming replication (CER) process for fabricating precise, non-magnetic ellipsoidal mirrors.
• To evaluate the replication accuracy and focusing performance of the fabricated non-magnetic copper ellipsoidal mirrors.
• To assess the suitability of CER-fabricated mirrors for soft x-ray focusing applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a non-magnetic copper ellipsoidal mirror by replicating a quartz glass mandrel using electroforming.
• Characterization of the CER process replication accuracy.
• Performance testing of the mirror's focusing capabilities using a soft x-ray free-electron laser (100 eV).

Main Results:

• The CER process demonstrated high replication accuracy, achieving 8 nm precision.
• A small focus size of 370 × 400 nm² was obtained with the fabricated mirror.
• High reflectivity of 65% was measured at 100 eV photon energy.

Conclusions:

• The developed CER process is highly effective for fabricating precise, non-magnetic ellipsoidal mirrors.
• The fabricated mirrors exhibit excellent focusing performance and high reflectivity, suitable for soft x-ray applications.
• This technology advances the capabilities for non-magnetic optical components in x-ray microscopy and related fields.