A stand-alone compact EUV microscope based on gas-puff target source

We report on a very compact desk-top transmission extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope based on a laser-plasma source with a double stream gas-puff target, capable of acquiring magnified images of objects with a spatial (half-pitch) resolution of sub-50 nm. A multilayer ellipsoidal condenser is used to focus and spectrally narrow the radiation from the plasma, producing a quasi-monochromatic EUV radiation (λ = 13.8 nm) illuminating the object, while a Fresnel zone plate objective forms the image. Design details, development, characterization and optimization of the EUV source and the microscope are described and discussed. Test object and other samples were imaged to demonstrate superior resolution compared to visible light microscopy. Lay description Developments in nanoscience demand tools capable of capturing images with a nanometer spatial resolution beyond the capability of well-known visible light microscopes. Herein, we present the design details, development, characterization and optimization of a very compact desk-top transmission microscope, operating in invisible to an eye radiation from the so called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range. The apparatus is based on a laser-plasma source coupled with a special type of objective called Fresnel zone plate. It is capable of acquiring magnified images of objects with a spatial resolution of sub-50 nm, approximately 5–10 times better than the spatial resolution of classical visible light microscopes, in a short acquisition time. The main motivation for development of such compact systems operating with EUV radiations is the possibility to get information about thin samples due to the easily absorption of these radiation by solid materials with very small thicknesses, of the order of about 100 nm. Additionally, the employment of such kind of microscopes might open the possibility to perform experiments without necessity to employ large ‘photon facilities’ such as synchrotrons or free electron lasers and could have a huge impact on the speed of nanotechnology development. Imaging results, concerning nanostructures and biomedical samples, are presented and discussed

Table-Top Water-Window Microscope Using a Capillary Discharge Plasma Source with Spatial Resolution 75 nm

We present a design of a compact transmission water-window microscope based on the Z-pinching capillary discharge nitrogen plasma source. The microscope operates at wavelength of 2.88 nm (430 eV), and with its table-top dimensions provides an alternative to large-scale soft X-ray (SXR) microscope systems based on synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. The emitted soft X-ray radiation is filtered by a titanium foil and focused by an ellipsoidal condenser mirror into the sample plane. A Fresnel zone plate was used to create a transmission image of the sample onto a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. To assess the resolution of the microscope, we imaged a standard sample-copper mesh. The spatial resolution of the microscope is 75 nm at half-pitch, calculated via a 10–90% intensity knife-edge test. The applicability of the microscope is demonstrated by the imaging of green algae-Desmodesmus communis. This paper describes the principle of capillary discharge source, design of the microscope, and experimental imaging results of Cu mesh and biological sample

Competition between Polymer Treatment and Surface Morphology

The ability to form an efficient interface between material and neural cells is a crucial aspect for construction of neuroelectrodes. Diamond offers material characteristics that could, to a large extent, improve the performance of neuroelectrodes. The greatest advantage of diamond is a large variety of material and surface properties such as electrical conductivity, surface morphology, and surface chemistry. Such a variety of material characteristics can lead to various cellular responses. Here, the authors compare survival, adhesion, and neurite formation of primary neurons on diamond thin films of various morphologies and treatments with several types of polymers commonly used to enhance cell adhesion. The authors find that the variation of surface roughness of nanocrystalline diamond film when coated with polymer does not have a major influence on neuron survival or adhesion. The adhesion of neurons can be influenced by the selected type of polymer coating. High molecular weight of polyethylenimine results in lower viability, adhesion, and neurite formation. The addition of laminin to treated films do not lead to significant improvements in neuron adhesion and neurite development. Their findings emphasize the importance of the correct polymer treatment over morphological properties of diamond thin films as a material for forming interfaces with primary neurons