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Ion beam shaping and figuring of X-ray sub-microfocusing mirrors
Optics Express
|March 18, 2026
Summary
Ion beam shaping offers a novel method for fabricating high-precision X-ray focusing mirrors. This technique overcomes limitations of traditional methods, achieving superior slope accuracy and smaller spot sizes for advanced synchrotron applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- High-performance X-ray focusing mirrors demand nanoradian slope accuracy, a challenge for conventional manufacturing.
- Tooling marks from grinding/polishing limit final mirror precision in deterministic figuring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present ion beam shaping as an alternative fabrication method for aspheric X-ray mirrors.
- To demonstrate improved surface accuracy and focusing performance compared to conventional methods.
Main Methods:
- Forming elliptical sub-microfocusing mirrors from flat substrates using ion beam shaping.
- Employing ion beam figuring for final error correction.
- Characterizing mirror slope errors and X-ray focusing performance.
Main Results:
- Ion beam shaped mirrors achieved tangential slope errors below 200 nrad rms.
- Conventionally pre-shaped mirrors were limited to > 500 nrad rms due to tooling marks.
- Ion beam shaped mirrors produced X-ray spot sizes below 250 nm FWHM, compared to 404 nm for the pre-shaped mirror.
Conclusions:
- Ion beam shaping is a viable technique for rapid, efficient, and high-quality X-ray mirror fabrication.
- This method overcomes limitations imposed by tooling marks in conventional mirror manufacturing.
- The demonstrated performance highlights the potential for advanced synchrotron instrumentation.
