Compact prototype apparatus for reducing the circle of confusion down to 40 nm for x-ray nanotomography

A new Kirkpatrick-Baez-based scanning microscope for the Submicron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy (SRX) beamline at NSLS-II

The development, construction, and first commissioning results of a new scanning microscope installed at the 5-ID Submicron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy (SRX) beamline at NSLS-II are reported. The developed system utilizes Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors for X-ray focusing. The instrument is designed to enable spectromicroscopy measurements in 2D and 3D with sub-200 nm spatial resolution. The present paper focuses on the design aspects, optical considerations, and specifics of the sample scanning stage, summarizing some of the initial commissioning results.

Rapid alignment of nanotomography data using joint iterative reconstruction and reprojection

As x-ray and electron tomography is pushed further into the nanoscale, the limitations of rotation stages become more apparent, leading to challenges in the alignment of the acquired projection images. Here we present an approach for rapid post-acquisition alignment of these projections to obtain high quality three-dimensional images. Our approach is based on a joint estimation of alignment errors, and the object, using an iterative refinement procedure. With simulated data where we know the alignment error of each projection image, our approach shows a residual alignment error that is a factor of a thousand smaller, and it reaches the same error level in the reconstructed image in less than half the number of iterations. We then show its application to experimental data in x-ray and electron nanotomography.

Optical design and multi-length-scale scanning spectro-microscopy possibilities at the Nanoscopium beamline of Synchrotron Soleil

The Nanoscopium 155 m-long beamline of Synchrotron Soleil is dedicated to scanning hard X-ray nanoprobe techniques. Nanoscopium aims to reach ≤100 nm resolution in the 5-20 keV energy range for routine user experiments. The beamline design tackles the tight stability requirements of such a scanning nanoprobe by creating an overfilled secondary source, implementing all horizontally reflecting main beamline optics, applying high mechanical stability equipment and constructing a dedicated high-stability building envelope. Multi-technique scanning imaging and tomography including X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and spectro-microscopy, absorption, differential phase and dark-field contrasts are implemented at the beamline in order to provide simultaneous information on the elemental distribution, speciation and sample morphology. This paper describes the optical concept and the first measured performance of the Nanoscopium beamline followed by the hierarchical length-scale multi-technique imaging experiments performed with dwell times down to 3 ms per pixel.

A high-precision instrument for mapping of rotational errors in rotary stages

A rotational stage is a key component of every X-ray instrument capable of providing tomographic or diffraction measurements. To perform accurate three-dimensional reconstructions, runout errors due to imperfect rotation (e.g. circle of confusion) must be quantified and corrected. A dedicated instrument capable of full characterization and circle of confusion mapping in rotary stages down to the sub-10 nm level has been developed. A high-stability design, with an array of five capacitive sensors, allows simultaneous measurements of wobble, radial and axial displacements. The developed instrument has been used for characterization of two mechanical stages which are part of an X-ray microscope.

Hard X-ray nanotomography beamline 7C XNI at PLS-II

The synchrotron-based hard X-ray nanotomography beamline, named 7C X-ray Nano Imaging (XNI), was recently established at Pohang Light Source II. This beamline was constructed primarily for full-field imaging of the inner structures of biological and material samples. The beamline normally provides 46 nm resolution for still images and 100 nm resolution for tomographic images, with a 40 µm field of view. Additionally, for large-scale application, it is capable of a 110 µm field of view with an intermediate resolution.

X-ray ptychographic computed tomography at 16 nm isotropic 3D resolution

X-ray ptychography is a scanning variant of coherent diffractive imaging with the ability to image large fields of view at high resolution. It further allows imaging of non-isolated specimens and can produce quantitative mapping of the electron density distribution in 3D when combined with computed tomography. The method does not require imaging lenses, which makes it dose efficient and suitable to multi-keV X-rays, where efficient photon counting, pixelated detectors are available. Here we present the first highly resolved quantitative X-ray ptychographic tomography of an extended object yielding 16 nm isotropic 3D resolution recorded at 2 Å wavelength. This first-of-its-kind demonstration paves the way for ptychographic X-ray tomography to become a promising method for X-ray imaging of representative sample volumes at unmatched resolution, opening tremendous potential for characterizing samples in materials science and biology by filling the resolution gap between electron microscopy and other X-ray imaging techniques.

Fabry-Pérot interferometry for long range displacement sensing

We investigate different optical configurations of a low-finesse Fabry-Pérot interferometer used for displacement sensing. The different configurations of the Fabry-Pérot cavity are selected in order to achieve large measurement ranges and angular alignment tolerances and to make the interferometer applicable for targets of various reflectivity ranges. The possible working ranges and angular alignment tolerances are characterized with respect to the interference contrast which is a measure for the signal quality. The use of a confocal arrangement enables a measurement range of up to about 0.4 m, or to work with an angular tolerance of more than ±0.2°. In order to predict the optical response of arbitrary configurations of the Fabry-Pérot interferometer, we introduce a simulation method based on the Airy formula and the fiber optic coupling efficiency.