Observation of peculiarities in angular distributions of X-ray radiation after propagation through polycapillary structures

A fine structure in the angular intensity distribution after X-ray radiation propagation through polycapillary structures was observed. For capillary channel sizes of 200 nm and wavelengths of 0.5–0.05 nm this effect is caused by wave properties, in other cases by geometrical factors of the studied structures.     

Enhanced X-ray emission in the 1-keV range from a laser-irradiated gas puff target produced using the double-nozzle setup

X-ray emission from a double-stream gas puff target irradiated with a nanosecond Nd:glass laser pulse was studied for the first time. The target was formed by pulsed injection of a high-density gas into a gas cloud by using the double-nozzle setup. This new concept allows a high-density gaseous target to be formed at a relatively large distance from the nozzle output. Enhanced X-ray emission in the 1-keV energy range and a smaller source size were observed as compared to the ordinary gas puff target created by pulsed injection of gas into vacuum. This new approach should be useful in the development of a laser-produced X-ray source for various applications. Received: 20 October 1999 / Published online: 27 January 2000     

X-ray point- and line-projection microscopy and diffraction

A theoretical framework is presented to treat both imaging and diffraction experiments performed with point-focus and line-focus X-ray sources, with particular emphasis on two-dimensional and planar X-ray waveguides. In particular, point-projection and line-projection microscopy has been approached within the Huygens-Fresnel formalism; point-projection and line-projection diffraction, such as spatially-resolved Bragg/Laue diffraction of crystalline samples in a regime of dynamical scattering, has been treated both by means of the Huygens-Fresnel formalism and of the Takagi-Taupin dynamical theory. Both in point- and line- projection geometry, simply rotating the investigated crystalline samples, it is possible to switch from Fresnel self-imaging to Bragg/Laue diffraction conditions. This means to image, within the same experiment, either morphological features, with a sub-micrometric resolution, out of the exact diffraction condition, or the structure order on an atomic scale if placing the sample in diffraction.     

Design, Fabrication and Test of a Soft X-Ray Even-Order Transmission Grating

Most transmission gratings in the x-ray region work with their first orders and dispersion is limited by the line density achievable with current fabrication technology. We present a novel design of a two-dimensional x-ray transmission grating. The grating works with higher dispersion using its second orders, and the influence from first and third orders can be suppressed. A grating according to the novel design is fabricated and its diffraction performance is tested in comparison with a traditional x-ray transmission grating with the same line density. The novel grating could be especially useful when high dispersion is desired while the fabrication of high-density gratings becomes more difficult.     

X-ray emission in the ‘water window’ from a nitrogen gas puff target irradiated with a nanosecond Nd:glass laser pulse

Received: 20 April 1998/Revised version: 19 June 1998     

Fabrication of combinatorial nm-planar electrode array for high throughput evaluation of organic semiconductors

We have fabricated a combinatorial nm-planar electrode array by using photolithography and chemical mechanical polishing processes for high throughput electrical evaluation of organic devices. Sub-nm precision was achieved with respect to the average level difference between each pair of electrodes and a dielectric layer. The insulating property between the electrodes is high enough to measure I-V characteristics of organic semiconductors. Bottom-contact field-effect-transistors (FETs) of pentacene were fabricated on this electrode array by use of molecular beam epitaxy. It was demonstrated that the array could be used as a pre-patterned device substrate for high throughput screening of the electrical properties of organic semiconductors.     

Simulations of the phonon Bragg switch in GaAs

It has recently been proposed that X-rays can be switched on sub-picosecond time-scales by using laser-generated coherent optical phonons: The so called phonon Bragg switch. We present here detailed simulations of the effficiency of such a switch by solving the time-dependent generalized Takagi-Taupin equations utilizing a perturbative approach. We explore the switching efficiency in diffraction from the (004) planes of GaAs as a function of both excited phonon wave vector and amplitude.     

Quantitative Evaluation Methods of In-Line X-Ray Phase Contrast Techniques

By revealing the relationship between edge visibility and imaging parameters in in-line phase contrast imaging （PCI）, we propose a method to quantitatively measure the contribution of absorption and phase shift from acquired images. We also prove that edge visibility will grow with the increasing source-object distance and object-detector distance. The result is validated by relative phase factor and by experiments conducted on a microfocus x-ray source. This method provides a new approach to evaluate in-line PCI images and is helpful for deciding imaging parameters.     

Picosecond X-ray diffraction studies of laser-excited acoustic phonons in InSb

We have employed time-resolved X-ray diffraction with picosecond temporal resolution to measure the time-dependent rocking curves of laser-irradiated asymmetrically cut single InSb crystals. Coherent acoustic phonons were excited in the crystals by irradiation with 800-nm, 100-fs laser pulses at irradiances between 0.25 and 12 mJ/cm². The induced time-dependent strain profiles (corresponding to the coherent phonons) were monitored by diffracting collimated, monochromatic pulses of X-rays from the irradiated crystals. Recording of the diffracted radiation with a fast low-jitter X-ray streak camera resulted in an overall temporal resolution of better than 2 ps. The strain associated with the coherent phonons modifies the rocking curve of the crystal in a time-dependent manner, and the rocking curve is recorded by keeping the angle of incidence of the X-rays upon the crystal fixed, but varying the energy of the incident X-rays around a central energy of 8.453 keV (corresponding to the peak of the rocking curve of the unperturbed crystal). The observed time-dependent diffraction from the irradiated crystals is in reasonable agreement with simulations over a wide range of energies from the unperturbed rocking-curve peak. Received: 22 March 2002 / Revised version: 25 March 2002 / Published online: 6 June 2002     

Fabrication and characterization of EUV multilayer mirrors optimized for small spectral reflection bandwidth

Our aim was to produce EUV multilayer mirrors with a small spectral bandwidth ΔE≤3 eV at 70 eV peak energy using UHV electron beam evaporation by varying the thickness ratio (Γ=) between the absorber layer and the bilayer. The deposition process was controlled by in situ soft X-ray reflectometry, and ion-beam polishing as well as substrate-heating methods were applied to reduce the interface roughness. The reflection properties of the Mo–Si multilayer mirrors prepared were characterized by hard and soft X-ray reflectometry and details of the multilayer structure were revealed from cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Received: 22 September 2000 / Accepted: 4 October 2000 / Published online: 30 November 2000     

Analysis of Temperature Dependence of Silicon-on-Insulator Thermo-Optic Attenuator

The temperature dependence of silicon-on-insulator thermo-optic attenuators is analysed, which originates from the temperature dependence of characteristics of multimode interference. The attenuator depth and power consumption are independent of temperature while the insertion loss depends on the temperature heavily. The variation of the insertion loss decreases from 4.3 dB to i dB as the temperature increases from 273K to 343K.     

Integrated self‐aligned conjugated polymer fiber laser devices

In this letter we present a fully integrated self‐aligned distributed feedback (DFB) fiber laser device, which was directly imprinted in the conjugated polymer poly[2‐methoxy‐5 (2‐ethyl‐hexyloxy)‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene] (MEH‐PPV) on the top of optical fibers by using the soft lithographic technique of “liquid imprinting”. For this process master gratings (360 and 380 nm) for the feedback structure were fabricated via e‐beam lithography, transferred to an elastomeric stamp and used to imprint the grating into the highly luminescent conjugated polymer. Such second order gratings were photo‐pumped with a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser, the laser emission (around 640 nm, depending on the used grating) was directly coupled into the waveguide and detected via a CCD spectrometer at the end of the fiber. The threshold of the laser devices was found to be in the range of 4.3 mJ/cm² and exhibited a line width of approximately 2 nm. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modelling and Optimization for Deposition of SiOxNy Films by Radio-Frequency Reactive Sputtering

SiOxNy films are deposited by reactive sputtering from a Si target in Ar/O2/N2 atmospheres. In order to achieve the control of film composition and to keep a high deposition rate at the same time, a new sputtering model based on Berg＇s work is provided for the condition of double reactive gases. Analysis based on this model shows that the deposition process can easily enter the target-poisoning mode when the preset gas flow （N2 in this work） is too high, and the film composition will change from nitrogen-rich to SiO2-like with the increase of oxygen supply while keeping the N2 supply constant. The modelling results are confirmed in the deposition process of SiOxNy. Target self-bias voltages during sputtering are measured to characterize the different sputtering modes. FTIR-spectra and dielectric measurements are used to testify the model prediction of composition. Finally, an optimized sputtering condition is selected with the O2/N2 flow ratio varying from 0 to I and N2 supply fixed at I sccm. Average deposition rate of 17nm/min is obtained under this selected condition, which has suggested the model validity and potential for industry applications.     

Epitaxial growth of CeO2 on (100) InP using reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering

The epitaxial growth of CeO₂ thin films has been realized on (100) InP substrates using reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering. Oxide films were nucleated in the presence of molecular hydrogen (4% H₂/Ar sputtering gas) in order to reduce the native oxide formation on the InP surface, which interferes with CeO₂ epitaxy. A metal cerium target was used as the cation source, with water vapor serving as the oxidizing species. Epitaxial films were sputter-deposited at a substrate temperature of 550 °C in a H₂O vapor pressure of approximately 10^-3 Torr. Crystallinity of the oxide films was examined using θ–2θ X-ray diffraction, ω-rocking curves, and in-plane φ-scans. The best results were obtained when the initial nucleation layer was deposited with P(H₂O)<10^-5 Torr, followed by deposition at P(H₂O)=10^-3 Torr. The epitaxial growth of CeO₂ on InP could prove enabling in efforts to integrate functional oxides with InP-based optoelectronic and microwave technologies. Received: 20 February 20002 / Accepted: 21 February 2002 / Published online: 19 July 2002     

Theoretical modeling of hard X-ray surface modes in a periodic multilayer

The excitation of hard X-ray surface modes of a periodic multilayer is studied with the help of theoretical modeling. It is found that a hard X-ray surface mode can appear in a specific periodic multilayer coated with a high-density reflecting layer. The generation of the hard X-ray surface modes is shown to be effective only at a certain set of the structural parameters of the multilayer. A method for the calculation of the propagation (attenuation) length of the surface mode running in the periodic multilayer is described. The excitation of the hard X-ray surface modes is compared with that of optical surface modes in photonic crystals. The relationship between the surface modes and guided modes of periodic multilayers is discussed.     

Sub-ps laser microstructuring of soft X-ray Mo/Si multilayer gratings

The sub-picosecond laser microstructuring of multilayer gratings is presented in this paper. A micromachining system operating with a 0.5 ps KrF laser at 248 nm was used to etch grating structures with a groove width of 1–2 μm in Mo/Si and Si/Mo multilayers. Atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray reflectivity were used to characterize the microetched patterns. The ω-scans around the 1st Bragg maximum show symmetric satellites up to 3rd order, with positions corresponding to the grating period. The use of sub-picosecond laser pulses minimizes the thermally affected zone and enhances the quality of the etched features. Short pulse laser processing is advantageous for the fabrication of high spatial resolution microstructures required in X-ray optics. Received: 21 May 2002 / Accepted: 19 August 2002 / Published online: 15 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Email: dpapa@iesl.forth.gr     

Polarization Properties of Quantum Cyclotron Radiation

We present a simplified formulae system describing the polarization properties of the quantum cyclotron radiation by a nonrelativistic thermal electron in a very strong magnetic field. In this system, each of the derived quantities, including the Einstein coefficients, the absorption cross sections, and scattering cross sections, as well as the absorption coefficients by plasma, is divided into the perpendicularly and parallelly polarized components. The results, especially the absorption and scattering cross sections of resonant frequency photons, are potentially important in x-ray and γ-ray astronomy, particularly in the study of gamma-ray bursts and pulsars.     

Preparation of composition-controlled silicon oxynitride films by sputtering; deposition mechanism,and optical and surface properties

Silicon oxynitride films have been grown on silicon by current-controlled reactive sputtering. The content of oxygen in the films could be well controlled by regulating the sputtering current under the reactive gas of Ar+ N₂ with an oxygen content of around 3%. The atomic ratio of oxygen to nitrogen in the silicon oxynitride film became larger with increasing sputtering current. It has been found that electron irradiation of the silicon substrate induces adsorption of oxygen and nitrogen. The degree of oxygen adsorption was about ten times larger than that of nitrogen. This phenomenon is a key mechanism in controlling the film composition. The adsorptive mechanism might be explained by the phenomenon of surface activation by the electron bombardment. Utilizing this technique, wettability by germanium of silicon oxynitride films could be controlled by varying their oxygen and nitrogen contents. A better wetting condition was obtained from films with large atomic ratio of nitrogen to oxygen in the silicon oxynitride film.     

Polycapillary X-ray lens for the secondary focusing Beijing synchrotron radiation source

According to intensity distribution of the synchrotron radiation source focused by a toroidal mirror at the Beijing synchrotron radiation biological macromolecule station, theoretical modeling of the Beijing synchrotron radiation source is developed for capillary optics. Using this theoretical modeling, the influences of the configuration curve of the polycapillary X-ray lens on transmission efficiency and working distance are analyzed. The experimental results of the transmission efficiency and working distance at the biological macromolecule station are in good agreement with the theoretical results.     

Effects of large cation size-disorder on the magnetic properties of the rare earth cobaltates, Ln0.5Ba0.5CoO3

Magnetic and electrical properties of Ln_0.5Ba_0.5CoO_3−δ with Ln=Dy and Er have been investigated to examine the effects of large cation size-disorder. While the Dy compound shows the small magnetic anomaly around 290 K just as the Gd derivative, the Er compound is essentially paramagnetic due to the large cation size-disorder. Compositions with the same average A-site cation radii as Dy_0.5Ba_0.5CoO_2.91 and Er_0.5Ba_0.5CoO_2.9, but with smaller size-disorder, show progressive evolution of ferromagnetism and metallic properties with decreasing disorder.