Diamond X-ray lens cubes with integrated aberration compensation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Physics

Background:

• Diamond is ideal for radiation-resistant X-ray optics, especially for advanced synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facilities.
• Current laser ablation methods for diamond lenses introduce aberrations, limiting nanoimaging resolution.
• High-resolution imaging demands improved focusing optics with spatial resolution, bandwidth flexibility, and compact integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an innovative concept for aberration-compensated X-ray lens cubes.
• To address limitations in current diamond lens fabrication for high-resolution X-ray applications.
• To enhance focusing capabilities for 4th-generation synchrotron radiation and XFEL facilities.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of bi-concave, two-dimensional diamond lens plates with a 25 µm radius of curvature using femtosecond laser ablation.
• Development of aberration-compensated lens cubes.
• Utilizing multiple corrective phase plates to reduce wavefront errors.

Main Results:

• Achieved a focal spot size of 52 nm × 51 nm at 14 keV.
• Significantly reduced wavefront errors across a broad photon energy range (14 keV to 20 keV).
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of aberration compensation in diamond X-ray optics.

Conclusions:

• The developed aberration-compensated diamond X-ray lens cubes show strong potential for nanoimaging applications.
• This approach advances high-resolution X-ray focusing for next-generation light sources.
• The findings pave the way for improved imaging capabilities at synchrotron radiation facilities and XFELs.