RESUMO
Correlative microscopy is a powerful technique that combines the advantages of multiple imaging modalities to achieve a comprehensive understanding of investigated samples. For example, fluorescence microscopy provides unique functional contrast by imaging only specifically labeled components, especially in biological samples. However, the achievable structural information on the sample in its full complexity is limited. Here, the intrinsic label-free carbon contrast of water window soft X-ray microscopy can complement fluorescence images in a correlative approach ultimately combining nanoscale structural resolution with functional contrast. However, soft X-ray microscopes are complex and elaborate, and are usually installed on large-scale synchrotron radiation sources due to the demanding photon flux requirements. Yet, with modern high-power lasers it has become possible to generate sufficient photon flux from laser-produced plasmas, thus enabling laboratory-based setups. Here, we present a compact table-top soft X-ray microscope with an integrated epifluorescence modality for "in situ" correlative imaging. Samples remain in place when switching between modalities, ensuring identical measurement conditions and avoiding sample alteration or destruction. We demonstrate our new method by multimodal images of several exemplary samples ranging from nanoparticles to various multicolor labeled cell types. A structural resolution of down to 50 nm was reached.
RESUMO
The development of the broad-bandwidth photon sources emitting in the soft X-ray range has attracted great attention for a long time due to the possible applications in high-resolution spectroscopy, nano-metrology, and material sciences. A high photon flux accompanied by a broad, smooth spectrum is favored for the applications such as near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), or XUV/X-ray coherence tomography (XCT). So far, either large-scale facilities or technologically challenging systems providing only limited photon flux in a single shot dominate the suitable sources. Here, we present a soft, broad-band (1.5 nm - 10.7 nm) soft X-ray source. The source is based on the interaction of very intense laser pulses with a target formed by a cluster mixture. A photon yield of 2.4 × 1014 photons/pulse into 4π (full space) was achieved with a medium containing Xe clusters of moderate-size mixed with a substantial amount of extremely large ones. It is shown that such a cluster mixture enhances the photon yield in the soft X-ray range by roughly one order of magnitude. The size of the resulting source is not beneficial (≤500 µm but this deficit is compensated by a specific spectral structure of its emission fulfilling the specific needs of the spectroscopic (broad spectrum and high signal dynamics) and metrological applications (broad and smoothed spectrum enabling a sub-nanometer resolution limit for XCT).
RESUMO
Many applications of two-dimensional materials such as graphene require the encapsulation in bulk material. While a variety of methods exist for the structural and functional characterization of uncovered 2D materials, there is a need for methods that image encapsulated 2D materials as well as the surrounding matter. In this work, we use extreme ultraviolet coherence tomography to image graphene flakes buried beneath 200â nm of silicon. We show that we can identify mono-, bi-, and trilayers of graphene and quantify the thickness of the silicon bulk on top by measuring the depth-resolved reflectivity. Furthermore, we estimate the quality of the graphene interface by incorporating a model that includes the interface roughness. These results are verified by atomic force microscopy and prove that extreme ultraviolet coherence tomography is a suitable tool for imaging 2D materials embedded in bulk materials.
RESUMO
We present a tabletop setup for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reflection spectroscopy in the spectral range from 40 to 100 eV by using high-harmonic radiation. The simultaneous measurements of reference and sample spectra with high energy resolution provide precise and robust absolute reflectivity measurements, even when operating with spectrally fluctuating EUV sources. The stability and sensitivity of EUV reflectivity measurements are crucial factors for many applications in attosecond science, EUV spectroscopy, and nano-scale tomography. We show that the accuracy and stability of our in situ referencing scheme are almost one order of magnitude better in comparison to subsequent reference measurements. We demonstrate the performance of the setup by reflective near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements of the aluminum L2/3 absorption edge in α-Al2O3 and compare the results to synchrotron measurements.
RESUMO
We present a laboratory beamline dedicated to nanoscale subsurface imaging using extreme ultraviolet coherence tomography (XCT). In this setup, broad-bandwidth extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation is generated by a laser-driven high-harmonic source. The beamline is able to handle a spectral range of 30-130 eV and a beam divergence of 10 mrad (full width at half maximum). The XUV radiation is focused on the sample under investigation, and the broadband reflectivity is measured using an XUV spectrometer. For the given spectral window, the XCT beamline is particularly suited to investigate silicon-based nanostructured samples. Cross-sectional imaging of layered nanometer-scale samples can be routinely performed using the laboratory-scale XCT beamline. A depth resolution of 16 nm has been achieved using the spectral range of 36-98 eV which represents a 33% increase in resolution due to the broader spectral range compared to previous work.
RESUMO
We present a modular extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectrometer system optimized for a broad spectral range of 12-41 nm (30-99 eV) with a high spectral resolution of λ/Δλ â³ 784 ± 89. The spectrometer system has several operation modes for (1) XUV beam inspection, (2) angular spectral analysis, and (3) imaging spectroscopy. These options allow for a versatile use in high harmonic spectroscopy and XUV beam analysis. The high performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated using a novel cross-sectional imaging method called XUV coherence tomography.