Advanced thin film technology for ultrahigh resolution X-ray microscopy

J. Vila-Comamala^a, K. Jefimovs^b, J. Raabe^a, T. Pilvi^c, R. H. Fink^d, M. Senoner^e, A. Maaßdorf^f, M. Ritala^c, C. David^a

^a Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland
^b EMPA, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
^c Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland
^d ICMM and IZ-ICP, Friedrich-Alexander Universität, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
^e BAM Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, D-12200 Berlin, Germany
^f Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Straße 4, 12489 Berlin, Germany

Published in:
Ultramicroscopy, vol. 109, no. 11, pp. 1360-1364 (2010).
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Abstract:
Further progress in the spatial resolution of X-ray microscopes is currently impaired by fundamental limitations in the production of X-ray diffractive lenses. Here, we demonstrate how advanced thin film technologies can be applied to boost the fabrication and characterization of ultrahigh resolution X-ray optics. Specifically, Fresnel zone plates were fabricated by combining electron-beam lithography with atomic layer deposition and focused ion beam induced deposition. They were tested in a scanning transmission X-ray microscope at 1.2 keV photon energy using line pair structures of a sample prepared by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. For the first time in X-ray microscopy, features below 10nm in width were resolved.

Keywords:
X-ray microscopy, X-ray diffractive optics, Electron-beam lithography, Atomic layer deposition

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