Large-field High Resolution X-ray Monochromatic Microscope, Based on Spherical Crystal and High-repetition-rate Femtosecond Laser-produced Plasma

The combination of a table-top laser produced plasma X-ray source and a spherically bent crystal for the soft X-ray region is used in traditional X-ray microscopy schemes. The X-ray source is well localized both spatially ( ~ 20µm) and temporally ( ~ 1ps) and is spectrally tunable in a relatively wide range (6–14A). High quality monochromatic (δλ/λ ~ 10-5–10-4) images with high spatial resolution (up to ~ 4µm) and in a large field of view (few mm) are presented. For many applications, this low-cost compact system can offer a simple alternative to the larger installations, which are usually used. The spherically bent crystals can be used in a wide range of reflection angles, thus allowing wavelength selection.