Hard X-ray microscopy with Zernike phase contrast

Zernike phase contrast has been added to a full-field X-ray microscope with Fresnel zone plates that was in operation at 6.95 keV. The spatial resolution has also been improved by increasing the magnification of the microscope objective looking at the CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal. Cu no. 2000 meshes and a zone plate have been imaged to see the contrast as well as the spatial resolution. A Halo effect coming from the Zernike phase contrast was clearly visible on the images of meshes.