Near‐Field Phase‐Contrast Imaging of Micropores in Silicon Carbide Crystals with Synchrotron Radiation

The results of in‐line phase‐contrast imaging of micropores in crystals with synchrotron radiation (SR) using an example of silicon carbide (SiC) single crystal are reported. Computer simulations of micropore images have provided a thorough interpretation of specific features of experimental results. Herein, micropores of sizes in the interval from a few micrometers to several tens of micrometers are analyzed. The near‐field condition is realized only on a short distance behind the sample for such dimensions. In addition, the size of experimental images is below the resolution limit of the best possible charge‐coupled device detectors. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the actual transverse dimensions directly under the near‐field experiment. A new experimental setup is proposed that employs a secondary SR source created by a compound refractive lens at the focus. Two conditions have to be satisfied. First, the focus must be located in front of the sample at a short distance. Second, the beam size at the focus has to be as small as possible. The implementation of the new scheme requires a high‐intensity synchrotron or X‐ray laser beam provided by modern X‐ray radiation sources. Computer simulations of a virtual experiment using this new method are performed.