Hard x-ray scanning microscopy with coherent radiation: Beyond the resolution of conventional x-ray microscopes

We demonstrate x-ray scanning coherent diffraction microscopy (ptychography) with 10 nm spatial resolution, clearly exceeding the resolution limits of conventional hard x-ray microscopy. The spatial resolution in a ptychogram is shown to depend on the shape (structure factor) of a feature and can vary for different features in the object. In addition, the resolution and contrast are shown to increase with increasing coherent fluence. For an optimal ptychographic x-ray microscope, this implies a source with highest possible brilliance and an x-ray optic with a large numerical aperture to generate the optimal probe beam. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4729942]