The results of the experimental study at the KISI-Kurchatov synchrotron source of the new phase-contrast imaging scheme for micro-objects using a nanofocusing compound refractive lens are presented. Visualization with submicron spatial resolution of a Fresnel zone plate with the width of the outer zones less than 0.5 µm is demonstrated. It is found that in the performed experiments the main contribution to the instrumental function, which limits the spatial resolution, is due to the vibrations of the optical scheme elements. The possibility of using the proposed scheme for estimating the beam transverse size at the focus of the compound refractive lens, with allowance for the instrumental function, is demonstrated.

The experimental study of optical properties of X-ray silicon planar compound refractive lenses at the synchrotron radiation source “KISI–Kurchatov” (Moscow, Russia) are presented. The capability to generate a submicron X-ray beam using refractive optics was demonstrated for the first time at this facility. The parameters of the focused beam were determined using the knife-edge technique. The measured minimum lateral focal spot size was 460 ± 70 nm. Additionally, the spatial structure of the beam in the focal spot area was examined. Theoretical estimates of the lenses optical properties and the corresponding computer simulation results are in agreement with the experimental data.

The results of studying the structural features of samples of zinc-oxide films obtained by magnetron deposition on chips of lanthanum-magnesium hexaaluminate and the surface of sapphire substrates with a gold buffer layer are presented. Analysis of the structure and morphology of the films is carried out using a set of methods, including high-resolution X-ray diffractometry, the method of constructing pole figures, and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that when using cleavages of lanthanum-magnesium hexaaluminate, an epitaxial ZnO film is formed without signs of growth rotating domains. The use of a gold buffer layer during growth on sapphire substrates improves the crystalline quality of ZnO films, but does not completely suppress domain growth.

The results of studying the specific features of the growth of zinc oxide films formed on sapphire substrates by magnetron sputtering in an inhomogeneous electric field are presented. The films have been analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffractometry, pole figure technique, and electron microscopy. A sequence of changes in the lateral structure with an increase in the film thickness, which depends also on the local potential, is revealed. Thus, regions with a higher surface potential correspond to the ZnOá10 0ñ(0001)||Al2O3á11 0ñ(0001) epitaxial ratio with the least lattice mismatch.

Single-crystal planar compound refractive lenses under diffraction losses (glitches) conditions, when a part of radiation incident on an optical element diffracts from some set of atomic planes, have been investigated. A detailed experimental study using synchrotron radiation of the influence of glitches on the focal spot formed by lenses has been performed. An analysis of the data obtained showed that diffraction losses arise on different parts of the parabolic lens profile due to the refraction effect at radiation energies differing by a few electronvolts. As a result, the shape of the focused beam changes with a change in energy near the energy of the glitch.

A new method is proposed for determining experimentally the size of a synchrotron radiation beam in the focus of planar compound refractive lenses. The method consists in measuring the angular divergence of radiation after the focus using Bragg diffraction in a perfect crystal during its rotation. This method determines the beam size, which depends only on the focusing properties of the lenses in use, in contrast to other currently applied methods. The efficiency of the proposed approach has been experimentally demonstrated using nanofocusing planar silicon lenses as an example.

Molecular-beam epitaxial growth of Si-doped GaAs single-crystal layers on (110)-oriented GaAs substrates has been studied. The surface morphology of grown films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and the crystal structure of grown films was estimated by X-ray grazing incidence diffraction, in-plane pole figures, reciprocal space mapping, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The type, concentration, and mobility of charge carriers in films were measured by the four-probe method in van der Pauw geometry at temperatures of 300 and 77 K. The possible existence of two areas in growth conditions, where increased concentration and mobility of electrons are achieved, was shown: the first, main area with the highest concentration and mobility values is Tg = 450–500 °C and V/III ratio γ = 20–40, the second, minor one is Tg = 600–680 °C and γ = 40–70. The hole conductivity was obtained at a growth temperature of 580 °C and a low γ value of 16. It was also shown that the defect-free crystal structure of the films grown at high temperatures is not necessarily accompanied by a smooth surface.

The structure of Langmuir lysozyme films on a liquid surface, formed from crystallization solutions with addition of metal chlorides as a precipitant, have been investigated. The thicknesses and densities of the films were determined using the X-ray reflectivity technique, and the concentration distribution profiles of the sulfur atoms present in protein molecules, as well as precipitant ions in the subphase surface region, have been obtained by the X-ray standing waves technique. Based on the experimental results, the dependence of the film structure on the precipitant used, as well as some specific features of application of X-ray reflectivity and X-ray standing waves techniques in the study of Langmuir films of globular proteins on a liquid surface, are analyzed.

Methods of coherent X-ray diffraction imaging of the spatial structure of noncrystalline objects and nanocrystals (nanostructures) are considered. Particular attention is paid to the methods of scanning-based coherent diffraction imaging (ptychography), visualization based on coherent surface scattering with application of correlation spectroscopy approaches, and specific features of visualization using X-ray free-electron laser radiation. The corresponding data in the literature are analyzed to demonstrate the state of the art of the methods of coherent diffraction imaging and fields of their application.

Epitaxial In0.53Ga0.47As films, grown on GaAs substrates with the (100) and (111)А crystallographic orientations in the standard high-temperature and low-temperature modes, have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The parameters of GaAs substrates and In0.5Ga0.5As films were matched using step metamorphic buffers. A technique for determining the strain parameters of the crystal structure of elastically strained In0.53Ga0.47As layers with the (111) crystallographic orientation using high-resolution XRD data has been developed. The strain parameters of the crystal structure of the samples under study are determined. A correlation between the tilt angle of the In0.53Ga0.47As layers with respect to the GaAs substrate and degree of their relaxation are calculated; layers with weak relaxation are found to have larger tilt angles with respect to the substrate.

First results are presented for synchrotron radiation diffraction in a paratellurite (TeO2) single crystal investigated with a new experimental scheme consisting of a standard monochromator and a relatively narrow slit for collimation and monochromatization of an incident beam. The Bragg case reflection geometry is used. The monochromator, a pair of Si crystals, maintains the initial direction of the beam propagation. The theory is developed for a precise description of the instrumental function in such a scheme. A new rocking curve registration technique with use of an adaptive bending piezoactuator is applied for the first time with the aim to record the narrow diffraction peaks with high accuracy. A sample is attached to one edge of the bidomain lithium niobate single crystal piezoactuator used. The piezoactuator is bent under the influence of an electric field and it changes the angular position of the sample with a very small step. The experimental curves are compared with the calculated diffraction rocking curves of a perfect paratellurite crystal, both the theoretical one and the one calculated taking into account the instrumental function. An instrumental function account allows a complete coincidence of the simulated curves with the experimental results to be obtained if the experimental curve does not coincide with the theoretical rocking curve. A small discrepancy between the theory and the experimental data has been discovered in cases where the incident beam is sufficiently collimated and monochromated. This indicates the presence of a certain number of lattice defects in the sample under study.

X-ray multiple-wave interaction in a paratellurite crystal (TeO2) under modulation of the crystal lattice by low-frequency ultrasonic vibrations is studied. The use of such vibrations enables accurate scanning or tuning of the multiple-wave region of X-ray interaction.

A new scheme of two-beam X-ray diffractometry on the X-Ray Crystallography and Physical Materials Science (XCPM) beamline at the Kurchatov Synchrotron Radiation Source (KSRS) has been experimentally investigated. The scheme includes a standard double-crystal monochromator and a narrow slit installed in front of the sample. Measurements have been performed for the Si 111 and 311 reflections in the monochromator and the Si 111 and 220 reflections in the sample crystal. It is shown that this scheme allows one to obtain a near-proper diffraction reflection curve even in the case of symmetric diffraction if the Bragg angle for the monochromator exceeds the Bragg angle for the crystal sample by a factor of 2 or more. The experimental results coincide well with the theory.