Laboratory water-window x-ray microscopy

Soft x-ray microscopy offers an approach to transmission imaging of wet, micron-thick biological objects at a resolution superior to that of optical microscopes and with less specimen preparation/manipulation than electron microscopes. Gabor holography has unique characteristics which make it particularly well suited for certain investigations: it requires no prefocussing, it is compatible with flash x-ray sources, and it is able to use the whole footprint of multimode sources. Our method serves to refine this technique in anticipation of the development of suitable flash sources (such as x-ray lasers) and to develop cryo capabilities with which to reduce specimen damage. Our primary emphasis has been on biological imaging so we use x-rays in the water window (between the Oxygen-K and Carbon-K absorption edges) with which we record holograms in vacuum or in air.The hologram is recorded on a high resolution recording medium; our work employs the photoresist poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). Following resist “development” (solvent etching), a surface relief pattern is produced which an atomic force microscope is aptly suited to image.

Download Full-text

X-ray holographic microscopy with zone plates applied to biological samples in the water window using 3rd harmonic radiation from the free-electron laser FLASH

Optics Express ◽

10.1364/oe.19.011059 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (12) ◽

pp. 11059 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

T. Gorniak ◽

R. Heine ◽

A. P. Mancuso ◽

F. Staier ◽

C. Christophis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Samples ◽

Free Electron ◽

Free Electron Laser ◽

Laser Flash ◽

X Ray ◽

Water Window ◽

Harmonic Radiation ◽

Zone Plates ◽

Holographic Microscopy

Download Full-text

Soft-X-Ray Harmonics in the Water Window

Applications of High-Field and Short Wavelength Sources ◽

10.1007/978-1-4757-9241-6_7 ◽

1998 ◽

pp. 45-51

Author(s):

Andy Rundquist ◽

Zenghu Chang ◽

Haiwen Wang ◽

Erik Zeek ◽

Margaret Murnane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

X Ray ◽

Water Window

Download Full-text

Nanoimaging using soft X-ray and EUV laser-plasma sources

EPJ Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/epjconf/201816703001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 167 ◽

pp. 03001 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Przemyslaw Wachulak ◽

Alfio Torrisi ◽

Mesfin Ayele ◽

Andrzej Bartnik ◽

Joanna Czwartos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laser Plasma ◽

Material Science ◽

Imaging Systems ◽

Fibroblast Cells ◽

Plasma Sources ◽

Full Field ◽

X Ray ◽

Water Window ◽

Imaging Results ◽

New Research

In this work we present three experimental, compact desk-top imaging systems: SXR and EUV full field microscopes and the SXR contact microscope. The systems are based on laser-plasma EUV and SXR sources based on a double stream gas puff target. The EUV and SXR full field microscopes, operating at 13.8 nm and 2.88 nm wavelengths are capable of imaging nanostructures with a sub-50 nm spatial resolution and short (seconds) exposure times. The SXR contact microscope operates in the “water-window” spectral range and produces an imprint of the internal structure of the imaged sample in a thin layer of SXR sensitive photoresist. Applications of such desk-top EUV and SXR microscopes, mostly for biological samples (CT26 fibroblast cells and Keratinocytes) are also presented. Details about the sources, the microscopes as well as the imaging results for various objects will be presented and discussed. The development of such compact imaging systems may be important to the new research related to biological, material science and nanotechnology applications.

Download Full-text