The soft x-ray instrument for materials studies at the linac coherent light source x-ray free-electron laser

The soft x-ray materials science instrument is the second operational beamline at the linac coherent light source x-ray free electron laser. The instrument operates with a photon energy range of 480-2000 eV and features a grating monochromator as well as bendable refocusing mirrors. A broad range of experimental stations may be installed to study diverse scientific topics such as: ultrafast chemistry, surface science, highly correlated electron systems, matter under extreme conditions, and laboratory astrophysics. Preliminary commissioning results are presented including the first soft x-ray single-shot energy spectrum from a free electron laser.     

激光等离子体软X射线光源的一种诊断方法

激光等离子体软X射线光源是脉冲式光源,对这类光源的光谱诊断有几种方法.文章介绍了一种新的、实用的测量激光等离子体软X射线光源光谱的方法.此方法以低噪声的通道电子倍增器探测来自光源的ns量级的脉冲光信号,并由低噪声、响应快的电荷灵敏前置放大器进一步将其放大,前放的输出电荷与输入的脉冲信号的峰值成正比.使用这种方法测量了铜靶激光等离子体光源和氧、氪气体靶激光等离子体软X射线源在8～30nm波段的光谱.     

Experimental ultra fast X-ray computed tomography with a linearly scanned electron beam source

We devised and tested a computed tomography approach that utilises a scanned electron beam X-ray source to produce fast tomographic image sequences of transient density distributions. Potential application areas for this technique are the visualisation and measurement of two-phase and particle flows in thermofluid dynamics research, chemical processes, or transport systems for fluids and bulk solids. In our setup we used a linear deflection pattern for the electron beam and a non-annular detector arc to record transmission data of an object from different projection angles. This approach gives the highest achievable axial resolution and is comparatively moderate in effort and costs. For the inverse problem we applied iterative image reconstruction techniques to reconstruct the density distribution from a limited data set. The method has been experimentally tested on static and dynamic phantoms with a frame rate of 1000 images per second and a spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm in plane and axial.     

Recording transmitted beam current for X-ray microanalysis in a scanning transmission electron microscope

A method of measuring transmitted beam current stability during and between X-ray microanalyses in a STEM is described. This facility also allows analytical artefacts due to charging, drift, contamination and mass loss to be detected during an analysis.     

Compact electrostatic levitator for diffraction measurements with a two axis diffractometer and a laboratory x-ray source

A compact electrostatic levitator was developed for the structural analysis of high-temperature liquids by x-ray diffraction methods. The size of the levitator was 200 mm in diameter and 200 mm in height and can be set up on a two axis diffractometer with a laboratory x-ray source, which is very convenient in performing structural measurements of high-temperature liquids. In particular, since the laboratory x-ray source allows a great amount of user time, preliminary or challenging experiments can be performed with trial and error, which prepares and complements synchrotron x-ray experiments. The present small apparatus also provides the advantage of portability and facility of setting. To demonstrate the capability of this electrostatic levitator, the static structure factors of alumina and silicon samples in their liquid phases were successfully measured.     

High saturation solar light beam induced current scanning of solar cells

The response of the electrical parameters of photovoltaic cells under concentrated solar irradiance has been the subject of many studies performed in recent times. The high saturation conditions typically found in solar cells that are subjected to highly concentrated solar radiation may cause electrically active cell features to behave differently than under monochromatic laser illumination, normally used in light beam induced current (LBIC) investigations. A high concentration solar LBIC (S-LBIC) measurement system has been developed to perform localized cell characterization. The responses of silicon solar cells that were measured qualitatively include externally biased induced cell current at specific cell voltages, I(V), open circuit voltage, V(oc), and the average rate of change of the cell bias with the induced current, DeltaV/DeltaI(V), close to the zero bias region. These images show the relative scale of the parameters of a cell up to the penetration depth of the solar beam and can be obtained with relative ease, qualifying important electrical response features of the solar cell. The S-LBIC maps were also compared with maps that were similarly obtained using a high intensity He-Ne laser beam probe. This article reports on the techniques employed and initial results obtained.     

光学镀膜用大束密均匀区离子源

介绍一个适用于光学镀膜用的直径为1 2 0 mm的大束密均匀区离子源的结构设计及性能参数 ,并对影响束密均匀性的因素进行了讨论     

光学镀膜用大束密均匀区离子源

介绍一个适用于光学镀膜用的直径为120mm的大束密均匀区离子源的结构设计及性能参数,并对影响束密均匀性的因素进行了讨论.     

光学镀膜用大束密均匀区离子源

介绍一个适用于光学镀膜用的直径为120mm的大束密均匀区离子源的结构设计及性能参数,并对影响束密均匀性的因素进行了讨论.     

In situ electron beam induced current measurements of the local thickness in semiconductor devices

A quantitative electron beam induced current method is shown, applicable in situ for electron beam current measurement on a semiconductor sample without the need for a Faraday cup. As a validation technique, the measurement of top overlayer thickness in the semiconductor structure was chosen for two reasons. First, the measured thickness is easily verified using the same electron microscope in the secondary electron mode by measuring the layer thickness at the layer edges. Second, the measurement of a layer thickness and its local variations constitute an important issue in semiconductor processing and characterization. The proposed method is used in the planar view of the sample, and also for locations far from the layer edges. Quasi‐three‐dimensional maps of the thickness spatial distribution are presented.     

Measurements of beam current density and proton fraction of a permanent-magnet microwave ion source

A permanent-magnet microwave ion source has been built for use in a high-yield, compact neutron generator. The source has been designed to produce up to 100 mA of deuterium and tritium ions. The electron-cyclotron resonance condition is met at a microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz and a magnetic field strength of 87.5 mT. The source operates at a low hydrogen gas pressure of about 0.15 Pa. Hydrogen beams with a current density of 40 mA/cm(2) have been extracted at a microwave power of 450 W. The dependence of the extracted proton beam fraction on wall materials and operating parameters was measured and found to vary from 45% for steel to 95% for boron nitride as a wall liner material.     

用有限元方法计算X光源场发射阴极电流

针对场致发射阵列建立了有效的三维有限元模型来分析单个尖锥的发射电流.考虑到场致发射阵列的周期性和尖锥的轴对称性,仅对一个尖锥单元的1/4进行分析.对模型的表面施加电压边界条件,计算得到尖锥表面电场强度分布,电场强度在尖锥顶点最强,场发射电流在此处也最强.由Fowler-Nordheim函数可得到尖锥表面的场致发射电流密度分布,对整个尖锥表面进行积分后得到了单个尖锥的场致发射电流约为7μA.计算了在100V门电压下不同顶端半径的场致发射电流.结果显示,场发射对顶端半径有很强的依赖性.计算了100个顶端半径为8nm的尖锥在不同门电压下的总场致发射电流,发射电流与开启电压与实际测量值符合得很好.     

X-ray grating interferometer for materials-science imaging at a low-coherent wiggler source

X-ray phase-contrast radiography and tomography enable to increase contrast for weakly absorbing materials. Recently, x-ray grating interferometers were developed that extend the possibility of phase-contrast imaging from highly brilliant radiation sources like third-generation synchrotron sources to non-coherent conventional x-ray tube sources. Here, we present the first installation of a three grating x-ray interferometer at a low-coherence wiggler source at the beamline W2 (HARWI II) operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht at the second-generation synchrotron storage ring DORIS (DESY, Hamburg, Germany). Using this type of the wiggler insertion device with a millimeter-sized source allows monochromatic phase-contrast imaging of centimeter sized objects with high photon flux. Thus, biological and materials-science imaging applications can highly profit from this imaging modality. The specially designed grating interferometer currently works in the photon energy range from 22 to 30 keV, and the range will be increased by using adapted x-ray optical gratings. Our results of an energy-dependent visibility measurement in comparison to corresponding simulations demonstrate the performance of the new setup.     

A new white beam x-ray microdiffraction setup on the BM32 beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility

A white beam microdiffraction setup has been developed on the bending magnet source BM32 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The instrument allows routine submicrometer beam diffraction to perform orientation and strain mapping of polycrystalline samples. The setup features large source to optics distances allowing large demagnification ratios and small beam sizes. The optics of the beamline is used for beam conditioning upstream a secondary source, suppressing any possible interference of beam conditioning on beam size and position. The setup has been designed for an easy and efficient operation with position control tools embedded on the sample stage, a high magnification large aperture optical microscope, and fast readout detectors. Switching from the white beam mode to the monochromatic mode is made easy by an automatic procedure and allows the determination of both the deviatoric and hydrostatic strain tensors.     

Efficient Kalpha x-ray source from submillijoule femtosecond laser pulses operated at kilohertz repetition rate

We report an efficient Cu K(alpha) x-ray source produced by focusing submillijoule, 120 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses on a solid copper target to a spot diameter of few microns. The experimental results show strong emission of K(alpha) x-rays from solid targets from microplasmas created by p-polarized 0.2-0.3 mJ laser pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate. We have demonstrated K(alpha) x-ray point source emission rates of 6.7 x 10(9) photonss into 2 pi sr at 1 kHz repetition rate. The source has an x-ray conversion efficiency into Cu K(alpha) line emission of 3.2 x 10(-5). The source has a measured size of approximately 8 microm. Such a high repetition rate K(alpha) x-ray source can be very useful for time resolved x-ray diffraction and radiographic applications.     

Progress in the MITICA beam source design

In the framework of the development of the ITER neutral beam (NB) system, a test facility is planned to be built in Padova. A full size prototype of the ITER heating NB injector (MITICA) shall be built and tested at full beam power (17 MW) as per ITER requirements. The design of the MITICA beam source has further progressed following updated optimization and overall integration criteria. In the paper, the major design choices and revisions are presented, together with some results of numerical analyses carried out in order to assess the electrostatic and thermo-mechanical behaviour of the source.     

Spectrometry of the photon beam from an X-ray tube by X-ray fluorescence

A method to perform the measurement of photon beam spectra from X-ray tubes is described. It consists of exciting the fluorescence of elements with their K-binding energies lying within the energetic range of the bremsstrahlung spectrum, using the tube photon beam, and a ²⁴¹Am excitation source as a reference, to normalize individual results of each element. According to the numerical treatment described in this article, uncertainties in relative photon flux determinations range from 10% to 2% depending on the photon energies. This method overcomes the difficulties associated with the detection of high photon rates produced by an X-ray tube.     

Fortran source listing for simulating three-dimensional convergent beam patterns with absorption by the Bloch wave method

The FORTRAN source code is given for a computer program that calculates the two-dimensional intensity distribution in convergent-beam transmission electron microdiffraction (CBED) patterns from perfect crystals. The program uses the eigenvalue or Bloch-ware method. It allows three-dimensional dynamical diffraction, and so includes all higher-order Laue zone effects without approximation. No symmetry reduction is included. The program accepts noncentrosymmetric or centrosymmetric crystal structures and allows absorption corrections to be included. It uses the “EISPACK” subroutines for the diagonalisation of a general complex matrix. Up to 100 CBED disks may be included. The code is also available via “Bitnet”.     

Low-energy beam transport studies supporting the spallation neutron source 1-MW beam operation

The H(-) injector consisting of a cesium enhanced RF-driven ion source and a 2-lens electrostatic low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system supports the spallation neutron source 1 MW beam operation with ～38 mA beam current in the linac at 60 Hz with a pulse length of up to ～1.0 ms. In this work, two important issues associated with the low-energy beam transport are discussed: (1) inconsistent dependence of the post-radio frequency quadrupole accelerator beam current on the ion source tilt angle and (2) high power beam losses on the LEBT electrodes under some off-nominal conditions compromising their reliability.