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Multimodal imaging and spectroscopy like concurrent scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) are highly desirable as they allow retrieving complementary information. This paper reports on the design, development, integration and field testing of a novel in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) instrument for operation under high vacuum in a synchrotron soft X-ray microscopy STXM–XRF end-station. A combination of μXRF and AFM is demonstrated for the first time in the soft X-ray regime, with an outlook for the full XRF–STXM–AFM combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron specular reflectometry (SR) and off‐specular scattering (OSS) are nondestructive techniques which, through deuteration, give a high contrast even among chemically identical species and are therefore highly suitable for investigations of soft‐matter thin films. Through a combination of these two techniques, the former yielding a density profile in the direction normal to the sample surface and the latter yielding a depth‐resolved in‐plane lateral structure, one can obtain quite detailed information on buried morphology on length scales ranging from the order of ångströms to ∼10 µm. This is illustrated via quantitative evaluation of data on SR and OSS collected in time‐of‐flight (ToF) measurements of a set of films composed of immiscible polymer layers, protonated poly(methyl methacrylate) and deuterated polystyrene, undergoing a decomposition process upon annealing. Joint SR and OSS data analysis was performed by the use of a quick and robust originally developed algorithm including a common absolute‐scale normalization of both types of scattering, which are intricately linked, constraining the model to a high degree. This, particularly, makes it possible to distinguish readily between different dewetting scenarios driven either by the nucleation and growth of defects (holes, protrusions etc.) or by thermal fluctuations in the buried interface between layers. Finally, the 2D OSS maps of particular cases are presented in different spaces and qualitative differences are explained, allowing also the qualitative differentiation of the in‐plane structure of long‐range order, the correlated roughness and bulk defects by a simple inspection of the scattering maps prior to quantitative fits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed an electron beam excitation ultra-soft X-ray add-on device for a scanning electron microscope with a reflective zone plate mulichannel spectrometer in order to analyse ultra-light elements such as Li and B. This spectrometer has high (λ/Δλ~100) resolving power in the energy range of 45 eV - 1120 eV. Metallic Li samples were examined and fluorescence spectra successfully measured. Energy resolution of 0.49 eV was measured in the ultra-low energy range using the Al L(2,3) line at 71 eV. High sensitivity of Boron detection was demonstrated on a B(4)C sample with layer thicknesses of 1-50 nm, detecting an amount of metallic Boron as small as ~0.57 fg.