Phase sensitive x-ray microscopy techniques are important in the study of samples that exhibit phase contrast. One way to detect these phase effects is to optically implement the radial Hilbert transform by using spiral zone plates (SZPs), resulting in the imaging of the amplitude and phase gradient in a sample. This is similar to differential interference contrast imaging in light microscopy. Soft x-ray microscopy using a SZP as a single element objective lens was demonstrated through the imaging of a 1 μm circular aperture at a wavelength of 2.73 nm. A regular zone plate, a charge 1 SZP, and a charge 2 SZP were fabricated on a silicon nitride membrane using electron beam lithography. The negative e-beam resist hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) was used for patterning, and the zone plates were electroplated with nickel. These zone plates were then used as the imaging optic in a soft x-ray microscopy setup.

Date Published: 19 February 2008
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 6883, Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics, 68830V (19 February 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.769892

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6883:
Advanced Fabrication Technologies for Micro/Nano Optics and Photonics
Thomas J. Suleski; Winston V. Schoenfeld; Jian Jim Wang, Editor(s)