Patent Number: 052590135
Section: abstract

An apparatus and a method are provided for employing hard monochromatic x-rays to generate high resolution, dimensionally altered undistorted images of either the internal structure or surface feature details of a specimen at the submicron level in up to three-dimensions. A monochromatic hard x-ray beam is applied to the specimen and thereafter is directed to arrive at a small angle of incidence at a preferably flat, optically polished surface of a nearly perfect crystal, to be diffracted at the surface thereof to carry a first one-dimensional alteration of the image of the observed structure of the specimen. This x-ray beam is then directed, at a small angle of incidence, to the surface of a second nearly perfect crystal, the receiving surface being oriented orthogonal to the surface of the first nearly perfect crystal, to generate a further diffracted beam containing an undistorted two-dimensionally altered inverted image of the specimen with micrometer spatial resolution. The "magnification factor" of the same set of highly-perfect crystals can be varied by zooming by changing the x-ray energy of the incident beam. This last beam is received on a CCD array for direct conversion of x-ray photons into electrical charges and storage and processing of the resultant data in digitized form. By a small controlled rotation to the specimen relative to the apparatus, additional two-dimensional data are obtained and may be processed to generate high resolution three-dimensional images of the specimen structure.