We have deposited, via magnetron sputter deposition, multilayer structures comprised of alternating layers of low atomic number materials such as (1) carbon and boron carbide, (2) silicon and boron carbide, (3) silicon and carbon, and (4) aluminum and boron carbide. Layer periods for these materials combinations range from 63.5 to 75 angstrom. These low atomic number multilayers exhibit significant first-order Bragg diffraction of Cu k-alpha radiation. Calculations of the reflectivity performance for multilayers of this composition have been made using a computer code based on the modified Darwin-Prinz theory. Experimental measurements and code predictions are in close agreement. Multilayers of this type may find application in devices requiring ultralow dispersion focusing x-ray optics, such as long focal length focussed beam lines, x-ray microscopes, and x-ray telescopes. Diagnostics for plasma characterization in fusion experiments that are free from L-edge absorption, high transmittance/high resolution beam splitting x-ray optics, and output couplers soft x-ray laser cavities are other possible applications for low-Z1/ low-Z2 multilayers.

Date Published: 1 January 1992
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 1547, Multilayer Optics for Advanced X-Ray Applications, (1 January 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.51269

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1547:
Multilayer Optics for Advanced X-Ray Applications
Natale M. Ceglio, Editor(s)