The design and first results of a high-transmission soft X-ray spectrometer operated at the X-SPEC double-undulator beamline of the KIT Light Source are presented. As a unique feature, particular emphasis was placed on optimizing the spectrometer transmission by maximizing the solid angle and the efficiencies of spectrometer gratings and detector. A CMOS detector, optimized for soft X-rays, allows for quantum efficiencies of 90% or above over the full energy range of the spectrometer, while simultaneously offering short readout times. Combining an optimized control system at the X-SPEC beamline with continuous energy scans (as opposed to step scans), the high transmission of the spectrometer, and the fast readout of the CMOS camera, enable the collection of entire rapid resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering maps in less than 1 min. Series of spectra at a fixed energy can be taken with a frequency of up to 5 Hz. Furthermore, the use of higher-order reflections allows a very wide energy range (45 to 2000 eV) to be covered with only two blazed gratings, while keeping the efficiency high and the resolving power E/ΔE above 1500 and 3000 with low- and high-energy gratings, respectively.

X-SPEC is a high-flux spectroscopy beamline at the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) Synchrotron for electron and X-ray spectroscopy featuring a wide photon energy range. The beamline is equipped with a permanent magnet undulator with two magnetic structures of different period lengths, a focusing variable-line-space plane-grating monochromator, a double-crystal monochromator and three Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror pairs. By selectively moving these elements in or out of the beam, X-SPEC is capable of covering an energy range from 70 eV up to 15 keV. The flux of the beamline is maximized by optimizing the magnetic design of the undulator, minimizing the number of optical elements and optimizing their parameters. The beam can be focused into two experimental stations while maintaining the same spot position throughout the entire energy range. The first experimental station is optimized for measuring solid samples under ultra-high-vacuum conditions, while the second experimental station allows in situ and operando studies under ambient conditions. Measurement techniques include X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and hard X-ray PES (HAXPES), as well as X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS).

The ANKA beamlines XAS and SUL were upgraded with a faster data acquisition and higher degree of automation, because of the increased number of in-situ measurements and higher demand on measurement on a number of different edges during one beamtime. We optimized the data acquisition by using the multi element semiconductor detector together with the XMAP-electronic (XIA LLC) in the mapping mode. By using the hardware-triggered mode with buffered read out the fluorescence detector data collection is done without no further delay.

An unstructured measurement process might deliver the needed quantity of primary data for an experiment. But the achievement of the scientific results depends more and more from the offered opportunities of embedding these measurement data into its specific context with a metadata description and a complete life cycle management. Obviously the design of a measurement process influences the potential applicability of an experimental setup for its scientific purpose and of course its options to fulfil a contemporary data management. ANKA’s Tango based environment offers in principal varying approaches with different implementation efforts and coverage of scientific or information technology requirements. At ANKA we have set up a smart structured measurement process which stand out due to its seamless integration into the overall data management, the support of recent control concepts for fast data generation as well as its support of well time-tested SPEC based scan systems. The presented measurement process focuses to the minimal implementation for all involved components without a break of well accepted habits.

X-ray imaging permits to spatially resolve the 2D and 3D structure in materials and organisms, which is crucial for the understanding of their properties. Additional temporal resolution of structure evolution gives access to dynamics of processes and allows to understand functionality of devices and organisms with the goal to optimize technological processes. Such time-resolved dynamic analysis of micro-sized structures is now possible by aid of ultrafast tomography, as being developed at the TopoTomo beamline of the synchrotron light source ANKA. At TopoTomo, the whole experimental workflow has been significantly improved in order to decrease the total duration of a tomography experiment down to the range of minutes. To meet these requirements, detectors and the computing infrastructure have been optimized, comprising a Tango-based control system for ultra fast tomography with a data throughput of several 100 MB/s. Multi-GPU based computing allows for high speed data processing by using a special reconstruction scheme. Furthermore the data management infrastructure will allow for a life cycle management of data sets accumulating several TByte/day. The final concept will also be part of the IMAGE beamline, which is going to be installed in 2013.

The WinCC OA [1] supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system (previous PVSS II) provides at the ANKA synchrotron facility a powerful and very scalable tool to manage the enormous variety of technical equipment relevant for house keeping, beamline, and machine operation. Crucial to the applicability of a SCADA system for the ANKA synchrotron are the provided options to integrate it into other control concepts even if they are working e.g. on different time scales, managing concepts, and control standards. Especially these latter aspects result into different approaches for controlling concepts for technical services, storage ring, and beamlines. The beamline control at ANKA was originally fully based on SPEC and is currently moved to TANGO [2] and SPEC [3] which has been fully integrated by expanding by TANGO server capabilities. This approach implies the essential need to provide a stable and fast link, which does not increase the dead time of a measurement, to the slower WinCC OA SCADA system. The open architecture of WinCC OA offers a smooth integration in both directions and therefore gives options to combine potential advantages, e.g. native hardware drivers or convenient graphical skills. The implemented solution will be presented and discussed at selected examples.

A referencing and sample positioning system has been developed to transfer object positions measured with an offline microscope to a synchrotron experimental station. The accuracy should be sufficient to deal with heterogeneous samples on micrometer scale. Together with an online fluorescence mapping visualisation the optical alignment helps to optimize measuring procedures for combined microfocused X-ray techniques.

A variety of data buses with different topologies, protocol conversions and speeds connect the distributed computer components, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and embedded systems at the beamlines and the storage ring of ANKA[1]. To monitor and evaluate the performance of data buses and gateways some investigations are done. Results are presented, regarding the criteria: data integrity, speed, interoperability, safety and the response time of the ANKA beamline control application SPEC[2].