Florian Döring

Sub-5 nm hard x-ray point focusing by a combined Kirkpatrick-Baez mirror and multilayer zone plate

Compound optics such as lens systems can overcome the limitations concerning resolution, efficiency, or aberrations which fabrication constraints would impose on any single optical element. In this work we demonstrate unprecedented sub-5 nm point focusing of hard x-rays, based on the combination of a high gain Kirkpatrick-Baez (KB) mirror system and a high resolution W/Si multilayer zone plate (MZP) for ultra-short focal length f. The pre-focusing allows limiting the MZP radius to below 2 μm, compatible with the required 5 nm structure width and essentially unlimited aspect ratios, provided by enabling fabrication technology based on pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and focused ion beam (FIB).

Towards multi-order hard X-ray imaging with multilayer zone plates

Multilayer zone plates can be used for holographic imaging without an order-sorting aperture.

Two-dimensional sub-5-nm hard x-ray focusing with MZP

We present experiments carried out using a combined hard x-ray focusing set-up preserving the benefits of a large-aperture Kirckpatrick-Baez (KB) mirror system and a small focal length multilayer zone plane (MZP). The high gain KB mirrors produce a pre-focus of 400 nm × 200 nm; in their defocus, two MZP lenses of diameter of 1.6 μm and 3.7 μm have been placed, with focal lengths of 50 μm and 250 μm respectively. The lenses have been produced using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and focused ion beam (FIB). Forward simulations including error models based on measured deviations, auto-correlation analysis and three-plane phase reconstruction support two-dimensional focus sizes of 4.3 nm × 4.7 nm (7:9 keV, W/Si)1 and 4.3 nm ×5.9 nm (13:8 keV, W/ZrO2), respectively.

Transmission zone plates as analyzers for efficient parallel 2D RIXS-mapping

We have implemented and successfully tested an off-axis transmission Fresnel zone plate as spectral analyzer for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). The imaging capabilities of zone plates allow for advanced two-dimensional (2D) mapping applications. By varying the photon energy along a line focus on the sample, we were able to simultaneously record the emission spectra over a range of excitation energies. Moreover, by scanning a line focus across the sample in one dimension, we efficiently recorded RIXS spectra spatially resolved in 2D, increasing the throughput by two orders of magnitude. The presented scheme opens up a variety of novel measurements and efficient, ultra-fast time resolved investigations at X-ray Free-Electron Laser sources.

High resolution beam profiling of X-ray free electron laser radiation by polymer imprint development

High resolution metrology of beam profiles is presently a major challenge at X-ray free electron lasers. We demonstrate a characterization method based on beam imprints in poly (methyl methacrylate). By immersing the imprints formed at 47.8 eV into organic solvents, the regions exposed to the beam are removed similar to resist development in grayscale lithography. This allows for extending the sensitivity of the method by more than an order of magnitude compared to the established analysis of imprints created solely by ablation. Applying the Beer-Lambert law for absorption, the intensity distribution in a micron-sized focus can be reconstructed from one single shot with a high dynamic range, exceeding 103. The procedure described here allows for beam characterization at free electron lasers revealing even faint beam tails, which are not accessible when using ablation imprint methods. We demonstrate the greatly extended dynamic range on developed imprints taken in focus of conventional Fresnel zone plates and spiral zone plates producing beams with a topological charge.

Numerical calculation of laser-induced thermal diffusion and elastic dynamics

In this article we discuss the implementation of a finite-difference time-domain simulation method, which describes thermal diffusion and elastic dynamics induced by an ultrashort laser-pulse. Besides the pseudocode, we provide an example in which numerical results are compared with experimental data, showing excellent agreement.

Spectral control of elastic dynamics in metallic nano-cavities

We show how the elastic response of metallic nano-cavities can be tailored by tuning the interplay with an underlying phononic superlattice. In particular, we exploit ultrafast optical excitation in order to address a resonance mode in a tungsten thin film, grown on top of a periodic MgO/ZrO2 multilayer. Setting up a simple theoretical model, we can explain our findings by the coupling of the resonance in the tungsten to an evanescent surface mode of the superlattice. To demonstrate a second potential benefit of our findings besides characterization of elastic properties of multilayer samples, we show by micromagnetic simulation how a similar structure can be utilized for magneto-elastic excitation of exchange-dominated spin waves.

Progress on multi-order hard x-ray imaging with multilayer zone plates

Hard x-ray focusing and imaging on the few nano metre scale has gained a lot of attraction in the last couple of years. Thanks to new developments in fabrication and inspection of high-N.A. optics, focusing of hard x-rays has caught up with the focusing performance for soft x-rays. Here we review the latest imaging experiments of the Göttinger Multilayer zone plate collaboration, summarising our route from 1D to 2D lenses for different hard x-ray energies, and recapitulate recent progress on a journey from focusing to imaging.

MZP design and fabrication for efficient hard x-ray nano-focusing and imaging

Efficient focusing optics are a key ingredient for high-resolution (few nanometer) hard x-ray imaging. In recent years, a combined optical scheme using prefocusing to match the coherent fraction of the synchrotron’s x-ray beam to a high-resolution multilayer zone plate (MZP) has been presented. This scheme allows sub-5 nm focusing of hard x-rays in two dimensions. Nevertheless, the first lenses prepared by pulsed laser deposition of alternating WW and Si layers were limited by a low deposition rate of W and the formation of lots of Si-droplets during film growth. Thus, the material combination has been changed to Ta2O5 and ZrO2, allowing a much faster and more accurate layer growth. Here we present latest developments achieved in both design and fabrication of high-resolution MMZPs: A MZP with a lens diameters of about 15 micrometers, sharp layer interfaces, 5 nm outermost zone widths and a focal length of 0.5 mm. Too increase the focusing efficiency even more, a tilted geometry using a pulled glass fibre was successfully implemented.