PolLux: A new facility for soft x-ray spectromicroscopy at the Swiss Light Source

Journal Article · Sat Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3021472· OSTI ID:21266712

Raabe, J; Flechsig, U; Boege, M; Jaggi, A; Sarafimov, B; Huthwelker, T; Quitmann, C ^[1]; Tzvetkov, G; Fink, R H ^[2]; Vernooij, M G. C. ^[3]; Ade, H ^[4]; Kilcoyne, D; Tyliszczak, T ^[5]

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1. Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen-PSI (Switzerland)
2. Physikalische Chemie II and ICMM, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, 91058 Erlangen (Germany)
3. Eidgenoessische Materialpruefungsanstalt (EMPA), 8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland)
4. Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8202 (United States)
5. Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

We report on the successful installation and operation of a scanning transmission x-ray microspectroscope (STXM) at the PolLux facility at the Swiss Light Source. This integration of an advanced STXM with improved sample handling capabilities and a novel beamline provides unique capabilities. PolLux uses linearly or circularly polarized x-rays from a bending magnet with an extended photon energy range (200-1400 eV). It is therefore well suited to determine a sample's quantitative chemical composition, molecular orientation, or thickness of organic as well as condensed matter materials. The local magnetic state of magnetic thin films is accessible through fast helicity switching by steering the electron beam off axis through the bending magnet. Ex vacuo girder movers allow fast and highly reproducible (<1 {mu}m) alignment of the instrument with respect to the photon beam. The present spatial resolution is {approx}20 nm, limited by the zone plates utilized. The instrument has the stability and positional resolution to operate with much higher resolution optics as it becomes available. In addition to characterization experiments, we present several typical examples from materials research and environmental science to exemplify the capabilities.

• OSTI ID: 21266712
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 79, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3021472; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ALIGNMENT
BEAM BENDING MAGNETS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ELECTRON BEAMS
HELICITY
IMAGES
LIGHT SOURCES
PHOTON BEAMS
PHOTONS
SOFT X RADIATION
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
SWISS LIGHT SOURCE
THIN FILMS
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY