Print Friendly

Category: electronics & instrumentation

BSA 10-02: Nanometer X-Ray Focusing Optics: Zone-compensated Multilayer Laue Lens

BNL Reference Number: BSA 10-02

Patent Status: PCT filed on December 13, 2010

Summary

The development of improved X-ray focusing optics is essential for further advances in various areas such as X-ray microimaging and microanalysis applications. The technology describes an x-ray focusing device called a multilayer laue lens that is capable of achieving focal sizes of less than 5 nm.

Description

This technology relates to a method of making multilayer laue lens (MLL) that is capable of achieving focal sizes of less then 5 nm. It is difficult to obtain in-phase intereference of radiation at the focus for zone thicknesses at the nanometer scale. Typically, this criterion is met by separating each zone-pair, from both halves of the MLL, a certain distance with an error of less than approximately one-third of the thickness of the zone of interest. However, in the present invention, the MLL includes a central compensation layer formed in between a first multilayer section and a second multilayer section. Each of the first and second multilayer sections includes a number of alternating layers made of a pair of two different materials. In particular, the compensation layer of the multilayer Laue lens has an in-plane thickness gradient laterally offset by 90⁰, as compared to other layers in the first and second multilayer sections, thereby eliminating the strict requirement of the placement error.

Have Questions?

For more information about this technology, contact Poornima Upadhya, (631) 344-4711.