Design and application of a zone plate monochromator for laboratory soft x-ray sources

In this article we describe the test of a zone plate monochromator for a laboratory soft x-ray source which is a laser produced plasma on a liquid jet target. The monochromator consists of a zone plate and a pinhole. Due to the special zone plate used (condensor zone plate KZP7) the monochromator is particularly suitable for laboratory sources since it collects a relatively large solid angle in the present setup. Depending upon the diameter of the pinhole a monochromaticity of up to λ/Δλ=600 can be achieved. The usefulness of the linear monochromator was proven on the basis of a filter transmission measurement. The monochromator can be used for several applications. In particular it is suitable for time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy and pump and probe experiments. The use for such investigations is discussed.