Multi-Lens Array Full-Field X-ray Microscopy

X-ray full-field microscopy at laboratory sources for photon energies above 10 keV suffers from either long exposure times or low resolution. The photon flux is mainly limited by the objectives used, having a limited numerical aperture NA. We show that this can be overcome by making use of the cone-beam illumination of laboratory sources by imaging the same field of view (FoV) several times under slightly different angles using an array of X-ray lenses. Using this technique, the exposure time can be reduced drastically without any loss in terms of resolution. A proof-of-principle is given using an existing laboratory metal-jet source at the 9.25 keV Ga K-alpha-line and compared to a ray-tracing simulation of the setup.

Automated summary

By utilizing cone-beam illumination and an array of X-ray lenses, exposure time for X-ray microscopy at laboratory sources with photon energies above 10 keV can be significantly reduced without compromising resolution. This approach was validated using an existing laboratory metal-jet source at 9.25 keV and compared to a ray-tracing simulation.