Ultracompact mirror device for forming 20-nm achromatic soft-X-ray focus toward multimodal and multicolor nanoanalyses

Authors

Takenori Shimamura, Yoko Takeo, Fumika Moriya, Takashi Kimura, Mari Shimura, Yasunori Senba, Hikaru Kishimoto, Haruhiko Ohashi, Kenta Shimba, Yasuhiko Jimbo, Hidekazu Mimura

Abstract

Nanoscale soft-X-ray microscopy is a powerful analysis tool in biological, chemical, and physical sciences. To enhance its probe sensitivity and leverage multimodal soft-X-ray microscopy, precise achromatic focusing devices, which are challenging to fabricate, are essential. Here, we develop an ultracompact Kirkpatrick-Baez (ucKB) mirror, which is ideal for the high-performance nanofocusing of broadband-energy X-rays. We apply our advanced fabrication techniques and short-focal-length strategy to realize diffraction-limited focusing over the entire soft-X-ray range. We achieve a focus size of 20.4 nm at 2 keV, which represents a significant improvement in achromatic soft-X-ray focusing. The ucKB mirror extends soft-X-ray fluorescence microscopy by producing a bicolor nanoprobe with a 1- or 2-keV photon energy. We propose a subcellular chemical mapping method that allows a comprehensive analysis of specimen morphology and the distribution of light elements and metal elements. ucKB mirrors will improve soft-X-ray nanoanalyses by facilitating photon-hungry, multimodal, and polychromatic methods, even with table-top X-ray sources.

Nature Communications: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44269-w