Hard x ray spectroscopy and imaging by a reflection zone plate in the presence of astigmatism

The feasibility of an off axis x ray reflection zone plate to perform wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, on axis point focusing, and two dimensional imaging is demonstrated by means of one and the same diffractive optical element DOE at a synchrotron radiation facility. The resolving power varies between 30 and 400 in the range of 7.6 keV to 9.0 keV, with its maximum at the design energy of 8.3 keV. This result is verified using an adjustable entrance slit, by which horizontal H and vertical V focusing to 0.85 amp; 956;m H and 1.29 amp; 956;m V is obtained near the sagittal focal plane of the astigmatic configuration. An angular and axial scan proves an accessible field of view of at least 0.6 arcmin 0.8 arcmin and a focal depth of plus minus 0.86 mm. Supported by the grating efficiency of around 17.5 and a very short pulse elongation, future precision x ray fluorescence and absorption studies of transition metals at their K edge on an ultrashort timescale could benefit from our finding

Highly efficient soft X ray spectrometer based on a reflection zone plate for resonant inelastic X ray scattering measurements

We present a newly designed compact and flexible soft X-ray spectrometer for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) studies within an energy range from 380 eV to 410 eV, which would include the K alpha emission lines of vital elements like nitrogen. We utilized an off-axis reflection zone plate (RZP) as the wavelength selective element with a maximum line density of 10000 l/mm. A higher energy resolution over a broader range of +/- 15 eV around the designed energy was achieved by displacing the RZP. Additionally, for the first time, an actual optical side effect, the so-called comatic aberration was exploited to increase the energy resolution. First results show a resolving power in the order of 1300 for photon energy of 395 eV, which is comparable to a commercial varied line spacing grating (VLS)

X ray absorption spectroscopy using a self seeded soft X ray free electron laser

X ray free electron lasers XFELs enable unprecedented new ways to study the electronic structure and dynamics of transition metal systems. L edge absorption spectroscopy is a powerful technique for such studies and the feasibility of this method at XFELs for solutions and solids has been demonstrated. However, the required x ray bandwidth is an order of magnitude narrower than that of self amplified spontaneous emission SASE , and additional monochromatization is needed. Here we compare L edge x ray absorption spectroscopy XAS of a prototypical transition metal system based on monochromatizing the SASE radiation of the linac coherent light source LCLS with a new technique based on self seeding of LCLS. We demonstrate how L edge XAS can be performed using the self seeding scheme without the need of an additional beam line monochromator. We show how the spectral shape and pulse energy depend on the undulator setup and how this affects the x ray spectroscopy measurement

Integration of moth eye structures into a poly dimethylsiloxane stamp for the replication of functionalized microlenses using UV nanoimprint lithography

The increasing demand for low cost camera modules for mobile devices requires technological solutions for the manufacturing process. One of the most promising fabrication processes for microlenses for camera modules is UV nanoimprint lithography. In a typical fabrication process, an elastomer stamp is used to replicate microlenses. In this work, a method is presented to integrate moth eye structures as an antireflective layer into a poly dimethylsiloxane PDMS stamp containing a microlens array. The integration of these structures is done by a thermoforming process. Due to the integration of the moth eye structures into the PDMS stamp, the optical performance of the replicated microlenses can be improved and no additional processing steps are necessary after the replication proces