Stereo hard X-ray ptychography

Hard X-ray ptychography has strongly developed during the last decade, enabling one to visualize structural properties of materials at high spatial resolution. By combining it with multi-slicing or tomographic techniques, optically thick samples can be investigated in 3D. Nevertheless, the depth resolution in multi-slicing is often limited to several micrometers by the ptychographic optical system and a full laminographic or tomographic investigation may be hindered by experimental constraints of limited space or acquisition time. Here, we introduce a stereoscopic imaging system using two inclined nanofocused X-ray beams to illuminate a sample at varying angles at the same time. Similar to human vision, adding these stereoscopic views results in considerably improved in-depth resolution beyond the current limits of pure 2D imaging systems. This is especially promising for experimental applications requiring bulky sample environments.