title: High numerical aperture tabletop soft x-ray diffraction microscopy with 70-nm resolution.
abstract: Light microscopy has greatly advanced our understanding of nature. The achievable resolution, however, is limited by optical wavelengths to approximately 200 nm. By using imaging and labeling technologies, resolutions beyond the diffraction limit can be achieved for specialized specimens with techniques such as near-field scanning optical microscopy, stimulated emission depletion microscopy, and photoactivated localization microscopy. Here, we report a versatile soft x-ray diffraction microscope with 70- to 90-nm resolution by using two different tabletop coherent soft x-ray sources-a soft x-ray laser and a high-harmonic source. We also use field curvature correction that allows high numerical aperture imaging and near-diffraction-limited resolution of 1.5lambda. A tabletop soft x-ray diffraction microscope should find broad applications in biology, nanoscience, and materials science because of its simple optical design, high resolution, large depth of field, 3D imaging capability, scalability to shorter wavelengths, and ultrafast temporal resolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0440, USA.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.forename: Changyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Przemyslaw W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Wachulak
authors.forename: Daisy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Raymondson
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Bagrat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Amirbekian
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sakdinawat
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La-O-Vorakiat
authors.forename: Mario C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.forename: Carmen S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Menoni
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Murnane
authors.forename: Jorge J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: Henry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kapteyn
authors.forename: Jianwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miao
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004867:Equipment Design; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007834:Lasers; D007909:Lenses; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D053758:Nanoparticles; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000295:instrumentation*