Search

The newly installed BL28XU beamline at SPring-8 is dedicated to in situ structural and electronic analysis of rechargeable batteries. It supports the time range (1 ms to 100 s) and spatial range (1 µm to 1 mm) needed for battery analysis. Electrochemical apparatus for battery charging and discharging are available in experimental hutches and in a preparation room. Battery analysis can be carried out efficiently and effectively using X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Here, the design and performance of the beamline are described, and preliminary results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Si(111) winged crystal has been designed to minimize anticlastic bending and improve sagittal focusing efficiency. The crystal was thin with wide stiffening wings. The length-to-width ratio of the crystal was optimized by finite element analysis, and the optimal value was larger than the `golden value'. The analysis showed that the slope error owing to anticlastic bending is less than the Darwin width. The X-rays were focused two-dimensionally using the crystal and a tangentially bent mirror. The observed profiles of the focal spot agreed well with the results of a ray-tracing calculation in the energy range from 8 to 17.5 keV. X-ray diffraction measurements with a high signal-to-noise ratio using this focusing system were demonstrated for a small protein crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve nondestructive observation of the three-dimensional spatially resolved electronic structure of solids, we have developed a scanning photoelectron microscope system with the capability of depth profiling in electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). We call this system 3D nano-ESCA. For focusing the x-ray, a Fresnel zone plate with a diameter of 200 μm and an outermost zone width of 35 nm is used. In order to obtain the angular dependence of the photoelectron spectra for the depth-profile analysis without rotating the sample, we adopted a modified VG Scienta R3000 analyzer with an acceptance angle of 60° as a high-resolution angle-resolved electron spectrometer. The system has been installed at the University-of-Tokyo Materials Science Outstation beamline, BL07LSU, at SPring-8. From the results of the line-scan profiles of the poly-Si/high-k gate patterns, we achieved a total spatial resolution better than 70 nm. The capability of our system for pinpoint depth-profile analysis and high-resolution chemical state analysis is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed an ultrahigh-vacuum instrument for resonant diffraction experiments using polarized soft x rays in the energy range of hν=300–2000 eV at beamline BL17SU of SPring-8. The diffractometer consists of modified differentially pumped rotary feedthroughs for θ-2θ stages, a sample manipulator with motor-controlled x-y-z-, tilt (χ)-, and azimuth ([lowercase_phi_synonym])-axes, and a liquid helium flow-type cryostat for temperature dependent measurements between 30 and 300 K. Test results indicate that the diffractometer exhibits high reproducibility (better than 0.001°) for a Bragg reflection of α-quartz 100 at a photon energy of hν=1950 eV. Typical off- and on-resonance Bragg reflections in the energy range of 530–1950 eV could be measured using the apparatus. The results show that x-ray diffraction experiments with energy-, azimuth-, and incident photon polarization-dependence can be reliably measured using soft x rays in the energy range of ∼300–2000 eV. The facility can be used for resonant diffraction experiments across the L-edge of transition metals, M-edge of lanthanides, and up to the Si K-edge of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have demonstrated auto-cleaning of deposited tin debris produced in a laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source by using a liquid jet target containing tin chloride solution. The use of double laser pulse irradiation improved the EUV conversion efficiency of 1.1%, which was 3.3 times as large as that obtained with single laser pulse irradiation. At an appropriate concentration of tin chloride, the amount of deposited debris was balanced out with that of sputtered and/or etched debris, resulting in a thickness of deposited debris less than 1 nm after 40 000 laser pulse irradiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have designed and constructed a new flat-field-type slit-less soft x-ray emission spectrometer that enables high detection efficiency and high energy resolution in the energy range of 250–1000 eV. The energy resolution is optimized in the C 1s and O 1s regions, where the maximum energy resolution of 2500 (E/ΔE) is expected using a focused beam whose spot size is 5 μm full width at half maximum in the vertical direction. A distortion of the linear profile of the focused image on the charge-coupled device (CCD) detector is successfully removed by using a cylindrical grating. This enabled us to apply a super-resolution reconstruction technique to compensate for the lack of spatial resolution of the CCD detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about the immunohistochemical study of keratins and filaggrin.

Spectroscopic photoemission and low energy electron microscope (SPELEEM) improved its performance after installation at BL17SU/SPring-8, where a multipolarization-mode undulator is employed to produce circularly and linearly polarized soft x rays. This undulator enables us to study the domain structures of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and x-ray magnetic linear dichroism. SPELEEM is used to study light elements (C, N, and O), 3d transition-metal elements and 4f rare earth elements, utilizing a wide range of photon energies. The two cylindrical mirrors adopted in front of SPELEEM ensure an illumination area of 14×14 μm2 on the samples. The lateral resolution of a secondary electron photoemission electron microscope image is estimated to be better than 85 nm, whereas the energy resolution of the instrument is better than 0.4 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]