Method and apparatus for x-ray microscopy

US10352880B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Sigray, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Wenbing Yun · Walnut Creek, US
• Sylvia Jia Yun Lewis · San Francisco, US
• Janos Kirz · Berkeley, US
• Srivatsan Seshadri · San Ramon, US
• Alan Francis Lyon · Berkeley, US
• David Vine · Berkeley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 26, 2017
• Grant date: Jul 16, 2019
• Expiry date: Jun 7, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J2235/1291
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

This disclosure presents systems for x-ray microscopy using an array of micro-beams having a micro- or nano-scale beam intensity profile to provide selective illumination of micro- or nano-scale regions of an object. An array detector is positioned such that each pixel of the detector only detects x-rays corresponding to a single micro- or nano-beam. This allows the signal arising from each x-ray detector pixel to be identified with the specific, limited micro- or nano-scale region illuminated, allowing sampled transmission image of the object at a micro- or nano-scale to be generated while using a detector with pixels having a larger size and scale. Detectors with higher quantum efficiency may therefore be used, since the lateral resolution is provided solely by the dimensions of the micro- or nano-beams. The micro- or nano-scale beams may be generated using an arrayed x-ray source or a set of Talbot interference fringes.