Multilayer Laue lens focuses hard x-rays

Aug. 1, 2008
While the X-FELO, which is located at the Argonne National Laboratory, will enable new science, focusing optics for it and other hard-x-ray sources are difficult to create—especially optics that are efficient and can focus at near the diffraction limit.

While the X-FELO, which is located at the Argonne National Laboratory, will enable new science, focusing optics for it and other hard-x-ray sources are difficult to create—especially optics that are efficient and can focus at near the diffraction limit. Argonne scientists have developed and tested a new multilayer lens (MLL) design, having a geometry like the Laue geometry in crystal diffraction (in which stacked diffracting surfaces are oriented almost parallel with the optical axis), that produced a 16 nm line focus at a 0.064 nm x-ray wavelength, with an efficiency of 31%.

The lens was fabricated of alternating planar multilayers of pure silicon and tungsten silicide; the layers decreased in thickness from the bottom to the top of the 13.25 µm structure, with the thinnest layer being 5 nm. A single 15-µm-thick section sliced from the structure became the test lens, with the aspect ratio of the outermost (thinnest) layer being 3000. A synchrotron and monochromator produced the 0.064 nm (19.5 keV) light for testing; the test lens had a numerical aperture of about 0.005. Future MLL structures may focus to sizes below 1 nm. Contact Jörg Maser at [email protected].

Sponsored Recommendations

March 31, 2025
Enhance your remote sensing capabilities with Chroma's precision-engineered optical filters, designed for applications such as environmental monitoring, geospatial mapping, and...
March 31, 2025
Designed for compatibility with a wide range of systems, Chroma's UV filters are engineered to feature high transmission, superior out-of-band blocking, steep edge transitions...
March 31, 2025
Discover strategies to balance component performance and system design, reducing development time and costs while maximizing efficiency.
March 31, 2025
Explore the essential role of optical filters in enhancing Raman spectroscopy measurements including the various filter types and their applications in improving signal-to-noise...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!