A flexible spectrograph for the investigation of soft X-ray spectra in the range between 1 nm and 20 nm is presented. Based on two variable-line spaced reflection gratings, the design enables stand-alone operation, the change between the use of an entrance slit and a slitless operation mode as well as a maximum compactness and robustness due to a reduced number of motorized stages. Characterization measurements as well as first proof-of-principle X-ray emission investigations show the potential of the instrument for versatile applications.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is one of the standard tools for the analysis of stratified materials and is widely applied for the investigation of electronics and coatings. The composition and thickness of the layers can be determined quantitatively and non-destructively. Recent work showed that these capabilities can be extended towards retrieving stratigraphic information like concentration depth profiles using angle-resolved XRF (ARXRF). This paper introduces an experimental sample chamber which was developed as a multi-purpose tool enabling different measurement geometries suited for transmission measurements, conventional XRF, ARXRF, etc. The chamber was specifically designed for attaching all kinds of laboratory X-ray sources for the soft and hard X-ray ranges as well as various detection systems. In detail, a setup for ARXRF using an X-ray tube with a polycapillary X-ray lens as source is presented. For such a type of setup, both the spectral and lateral characterizations of the radiation field are crucial for quantitative ARXRF measurements. The characterization is validated with the help of a stratified validation sample.

A novel type of ultra-high vacuum instrument for X-ray reflectometry and spectrometry-related techniques for nanoanalytics by means of synchrotron radiation (SR) has been constructed and commissioned at BESSY II. This versa-tile instrument was developed by the PTB, Germany’s national metrology institute, and includes a 9-axis manipulator that allows for an independent alignment of the samples with respect to all degrees of freedom. In addition, it integrates a ro-tational and translational movement of several photodiodes as well as a translational movement of a beam-geometry-defining aperture system. Thus, the new instrument enables various analytical techniques based on energy dispersive X-ray detectors such as reference-free X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis, total-reflection XRF, grazing-incidence XRF, in addition to optional X-Ray Reflectometry (XRR) measurements or polarization-dependent X-ray absorption fine structure analyses (XAFS). Samples having a size of up to (100 × 100) mm2; can be analyzed with respect to their mass depo-sition, elemental, spatial or species composition. Surface contamination, nanolayer composition and thickness, depth pro-file of matrix elements or implants, nanoparticles or buried interfaces as well as molecular orientation of bonds can be accessed. Three technology transfer projects of adapted instruments have enhanced X-Ray Spectrometry (XRS) research activities within Europe at the synchrotron radiation facilities ELETTRA (IAEA) and SOLEIL (CEA/LNE-LNHB) as well as at the X-ray innovation laboratory BLiX (TU Berlin) where different laboratory sources are used. Here, smaller chamber requirements led PTB in cooperation with TU Berlin to develop a modified instrument equipped with a 7-axis manipulator: reduced freedom in the choice of experimental geometry modifications (absence of out-of-SR-plane and reference-free XRS options) has been compensated by encoder-enhanced angular accuracy for GIXRF and XRR. © 2016 Author(s)

Grazing incidence and grazing emission X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (GI/GE-XRF) are techniques that enable non-destructive, quantitative analysis of elemental depth profiles with a resolution in the nanometer regime. A laboratory setup for soft X-ray GEXRF measurements is presented. Reasonable measurement times could be achieved by combining a highly brilliant laser produced plasma (LPP) source with a scanning-free GEXRF setup, providing a large solid angle of detection. The detector, a pnCCD, was operated in a single photon counting mode in order to utilize its energy dispersive properties. GEXRF profiles of the Ni-L-alpha,L-beta line of a nickel-carbon multilayer sample, which displays a lateral (bi)layer thickness gradient, were recorded at several positions. Simulations of theoretical profiles predicted a prominent intensity minimum at grazing emission angles between 5 degrees and 12 degrees, depending strongly on the bilayer thickness of the sample. This information was used to retrieve the bilayer thickness gradient. The results are in good agreement with values obtained by X-ray reflectometry, conventional X-ray fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy measurements and serve as proof-of-principle for the realized GEXRF setup. The presented work demonstrates the potential of nanometer resolved elemental depth profiling in the soft X-ray range with a laboratory source, opening, for example, the possibility of in-line or even in situ process control in semiconductor industry.