Coherent diffraction imaging using focused hard X-rays

A quantitative height profile image of a silicon nano-trench structure was obtained via coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) utilizing focused X-rays at a photon energy of 5.5 keV. The ability to optimize the spatial coherence and the photon flux density of a focused X-ray beam was the key technique for achieving such technical progress at a given X-ray photon flux. This was achieved by investigating the tunability of the focused beam’s optical properties and performing a CDI experiment with the focused X-rays. The relationship between the focused X-rays’ optical properties (e.g., photon flux density and spatial coherence length) and the incident beam’s size, which can be tuned by adjusting the slits in front of the Fresnel zone plate (FZP) was elucidated. We also obtained a quantitative image of a nano-trench sample produced via the reconstruction process of CDI, which utilizes carefully tuned, focused X-rays.