Compact x-ray microradiograph for in situ imaging of solidification processes: bringing in situ x-ray micro-imaging from the synchrotron to the laboratory.

A laboratory based high resolution x-ray radiograph was developed for the investigation of solidification dynamics in alloys. It is based on a low-power microfocus x-ray tube and is potentially appropriate for x-ray diagnostics in space. The x-ray microscope offers a high spatial resolution down to approximately 5 µm. Dynamic processes can be resolved with a frequency of up to 6 Hz. In reference experiments, the setup was optimized to yield a high contrast for AlCu-alloys. With samples of about 150 µm thickness, high quality image sequences of the solidification process were obtained with high resolution in time and space.

Non-destructive and quantitative imaging of a nano-structured microchip by ptychographic hard X-ray scanning microscopy.

We used hard X-ray scanning microscopy with ptychographic coherent diffraction contrast to image a front-end processed passivated microchip fabricated in 80 nm technology. No sample preparation was needed to image buried interconnects and contact layers with a spatial resolution of slightly better than 40 nm. The phase shift in the sample is obtained quantitatively. With the additional knowledge of the elemental composition determined in parallel by X-ray fluorescence mapping, quantitative information about specific nanostructures is obtained. A significant enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution is achieved compared to conventional hard X-ray scanning microscopy.