Patent · US Expired

X-ray beamsplitter

US4870648A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
6References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 7, 1987
Grant dateSep 26, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 7, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG21K2201/067
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An x-ray beamsplitter which splits an x-ray beam into two coherent parts by reflecting and transmitting some fraction of an incident beam has applications for x-ray interferometry, x-ray holography, x-ray beam manipulation, and x-ray laser cavity output couplers. The beamsplitter is formed of a wavelength selective multilayer thin film supported by a very thin x-ray transparent membrane. The beamsplitter resonantly transmits and reflects x-rays through thin film interference effects. A thin film is formed of 5-50 pairs of alternate Mo/Si layers with a period of 20-250 A. The support membrane is 10-200 nm of silicon nitride or boron nitride. The multilayer/support membrane structure is formed across a window in a substrate by first forming the structure on a solid substrate and then forming a window in the substrate to leave a free-standing structure over the window.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.