Fredrik Uhlén

Full spatial characterization of a nanofocused x-ray free-electron laser beam by ptychographic imaging

The emergence of hard X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) enables new insights into many fields of science. These new sources provide short, highly intense, and coherent X-ray pulses. In a variety of scientific applications these pulses need to be strongly focused. In this article, we demonstrate focusing of hard X-ray FEL pulses to 125 nm using refractive x-ray optics. For a quantitative analysis of most experiments, the wave field or at least the intensity distribution illuminating the sample is needed. We report on the full characterization of a nanofocused XFEL beam by ptychographic imaging, giving access to the complex wave field in the nanofocus. From these data, we obtain the full caustic of the beam, identify the aberrations of the optic, and determine the wave field for individual pulses. This information is for example crucial for high-resolution imaging, creating matter in extreme conditions, and nonlinear x-ray optics.

New diamond nanofabrication process for hard x-ray zone plates

The authors report on a new tungsten-hardmask-based diamond dry-etch process for fabricating diamond zone plate lenses with a high aspect ratio. The tungsten hardmask is structured by electron-beam lithography, together with Cl2/O2 and SF6/O2 reactive ion etching in a trilayer resist-chromium-tungsten stack. The underlying diamond is then etched in an O2 plasma. The authors demonstrate excellent-quality diamond gratings with half-pitch down to 80 nm and a height of 2.6 μm, as well as zone plates with a 75 μm diameter and 100 nm outermost zone width. The diffraction efficiency of the zone plates is measured to 14.5% at an 8 keV x-ray energy, and the imaging properties were investigated in a scanning microscope arrangement showing sub-100-nm resolution. The imaging and thermal properties of these lenses make them suitable for use with high-brightness x-ray free-electron laser sources.

Ronchi test for characterization of X‐ray nanofocusing optics and beamlines

A Ronchi interferometer for hard X-rays is reported in order to characterize the performance of the nanofocusing optics as well as the beamline stability. Characteristic interference fringes yield qualitative data on present aberrations in the optics. Moreover, the visibility of the fringes on the detector gives information on the degree of spatial coherence in the beamline. This enables the possibility to detect sources of instabilities in the beamline like vibrations of components or temperature drift. Examples are shown for two different nanofocusing hard X-ray optics: a compound refractive lens and a zone plate.

Damage investigation on tungsten and diamond diffractive optics at a hard x-ray free-electron laser

Focusing hard x-ray free-electron laser radiation with extremely high fluence sets stringent demands on the x-ray optics. Any material placed in an intense x-ray beam is at risk of being damaged. Therefore, it is crucial to find the damage thresholds for focusing optics. In this paper we report experimental results of exposing tungsten and diamond diffractive optics to a prefocused 8.2 keV free-electron laser beam in order to find damage threshold fluence levels. Tungsten nanostructures were damaged at fluence levels above 500 mJ/cm(2). The damage was of mechanical character, caused by thermal stress variations. Diamond nanostructures were affected at a fluence of 59 000 mJ/cm(2). For fluence levels above this, a significant graphitization process was initiated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and µ-Raman analysis were used to analyze exposed nanostructures.

Focusing XFEL SASE pulses by rotationally parabolic refractive x-ray lenses

Using rotationally parabolic refractive x-ray lenses made of beryllium, we focus hard x-ray free-electron laser pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) down to a spot size in the 100 nm range. We demonstrated ecient nanofocusing and characterized the nanofocused wave

Hard X-Ray Nanofocusing with Refractive X-Ray Optics: Full Beam Characterization by Ptychographic Imaging

Hard x-ray scanning microscopy relies on small and intensive nanobeams. Refractive x-ray lenses are well suited to generate hard x-ray beams with lateral dimensions of 100 nm and below. The diffraction limited beam size of refractive x-ray lenses mainly depends on the focal length and the attenuation inside the lens material. The numerical aperture of refractive lenses scales with the inverse square root of the focal length until it reaches the critical angle of total reflection. We have used nanofocusing refractive x-ray lenses made of silicon to focus hard x-rays at 8 and 20 keV to (sub-)100 nm dimensions. Using ptychographic scanning coherent diffraction imaging we have characterized these nanobeams with high accuracy and sensitivity, measuring the full complex wave field in the focus. This gives access to the full caustic and aberrations of the x-ray optics.

Thermal stability of tungsten zone plates for focusing hard x-ray free-electron laser radiation

Diffractive Fresnel zone plates made of tungsten show great promise for focusing hard x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) radiation to very small spot sizes. However, they have to withstand the high-intensity pulses of the beam without being damaged. This might be problematic since each XFEL pulse will create a significant temperature increase in the zone plate nanostructures and it is therefore crucial that the optics are thermally stable, even for a large number of pulses. Here we have studied the thermal stability of tungsten zone-plate- like nanostructures on diamond substrates using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser which creates temperature profiles similar to those expected from XFEL pulses. We found that the structures remained intact up to a laser fluence of 100mJcm 2 , corresponding to a 6keV x-ray fluence of 590mJcm 2 , which is above typical fluence levels in an unfocused XFEL beam. We have also performed an initial damage experiment at the LCLS hard XFEL facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where a tungsten zone plate on a diamond substrate was exposed to 10 5 pulses of 6keV x-rays with a pulse fluence of 350mJcm 2 without any damage occurring.

Twelve nanometer half-pitch W–Cr–HSQ trilayer process for soft x-ray tungsten zone plates

The authors describe a new W–Cr–HSQ trilayer nanofabrication process for high-resolution and high-diffraction-efficiency soft x-ray W zone-plate lenses. High-resolution HSQ gratings were first fabricated by electron-beam lithography and high-contrast development in a NaCl/NaOH solution. The HSQ pattern was then transferred to the Cr layer by RIE with Cl2/O2, and subsequently to the W layer by cryogenic RIE with SF6/O2. The anisotropy of the W etch as a function of substrate temperature was investigated, and the best etch profile was achieved at −50 °C. Using this optimized process, W gratings with half-pitches down to 12 nm and a height of 90 nm were fabricated. For a zone plate with corresponding parameters, this would result in a theoretical diffraction efficiency of 9.6% (at λ = 2.48 nm), twice as high as has been reported previously.

Full characterization of a focused wave field with sub 100 nm resolution

A hard x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) provides an x-ray source with an extraordinary high peak-brilliance, a time structure with extremely short pulses and with a large degree of coherence, opening the door to new scientific fields. Many XFEL experiments require the x-ray beam to be focused to nanometer dimensions or, at least, benefit from such a focused beam. A detailed knowledge about the illuminating beam helps to interpret the measurements or is even inevitable to make full use of the focused beam. In this paper we report on focusing an XFEL beam to a transverse size of 125nm and how we applied ptychographic imaging to measure the complex wavefield in the focal plane in terms of phase and amplitude. Propagating the wavefield back and forth we are able to reconstruct the full caustic of the beam, revealing aberrations of the nano-focusing optic. By this method we not only obtain the averaged illumination but also the wavefield of individual XFEL pulses.

Diffractive optics for laboratory sources to free electron lasers

In this contribution we present our recent results in the field of diffractive optics for both soft and hard x-ray radiation, and for laboratory sources to x-ray free electron lasers (XFEL). We developed a laboratory soft x-ray microscope that uses in-house produced zone plate optics as high-resolution objectives. We continuously try to improve these optics, both in terms of efficiency and resolution. Our latest development is the manufacturing of tungsten soft x-ray zone plates with outermost zone widths of 12 nm and 90 nm high structures. For hard x-rays, we investigated the possibility to use metal zone plates on a diamond substrate for nano-focusing of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. The simulations show that the heat conduction is efficient enough to keep a zone plate well below melting temperature. However, metal zone plates will experience large and rapid temperature fluctuations of several hundred Kelvin that might prove fatal. To test this, we manufactured tungsten on diamond prototype zone plates and exposed them to radiation from the LCLS XFEL. Results show that metal zone plates can survive the XFEL beam.