Patent Number: 062691457
Section: claims

1. A compound refractive lens for x-rays, comprising: a plurality of individual unit lenses comprising a total of N in number, said unit lenses hereinafter designated individually with numbers i=1 through N, said unit lenses substantially aligned along an axis, said i-th lens having a displacement t.sub.i orthogonal to said axis, with said axis located such that ##EQU77##  wherein each of said unit lenses comprises a lens material having a refractive index decrement .delta.&lt;1 at a wavelength .lambda.&lt;100 Angstroms. 2. A compound refractive lens as in claim 1, wherein said displacements t.sub.i are distributed such that there is a standard deviation .sigma..sub.t of said displacements t.sub.i about said axis, and wherein each of said unit lenses is a spherical lens and has an absorption aperture radius r.sub.a, a mechanical aperture radius r.sub.m, a radius of curvature R.sub.s, and a minimum effective aperture radius r.sub.e =MIN(r.sub.a,r.sub.m), such that .sigma..sub.t is less than r.sub.e and also less than R.sub.s /2. 3. A compound refractive lens as in claim 1 wherein said displacements t.sub.i are distributed such that there is a standard deviation .sigma..sub.t of said displacements t.sub.i about said axis, and wherein each of said unit lenses is a parabolic lens, and has an absorption aperture radius r.sub.a, a mechanical aperture radius r.sub.m, and a minimum effective aperture radius r.sub.e =MIN(r.sub.a,r.sub.m), such that .sigma..sub.t is less than r.sub.e. 4. A compound refractive lens as in claim 1 wherein said displacements t.sub.i are distributed such that there is a standard deviation .sigma..sub.t of said displacements t.sub.i about said axis, and wherein each of said unit lenses is a Fresnel refractive lens having a mechanical aperture radius r.sub.m such that .sigma..sub.t is less than r.sub.m. 5. A compound refractive lens as in claim 2, wherein said spherical lens has a radius of curvature of R.sub.s and is made of material having a linear absorption coefficient .mu., and wherein said absorption radius ##EQU78## 6. A compound refractive lens as in claim 3, wherein said parabolic lens has a latus rectum of 2R.sub.p and is made of material having a linear absorption coefficient .mu., and wherein said absorption radius ##EQU80## 7. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 2, 3, or 4 wherein .lambda./4N.delta..ltoreq..sigma..sub.t &lt;r.sub.e. 8. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein each of said unit lenses has an average thickness d.sub.ave such that d.sub.ave &lt;&lt;1N.mu.. 9. A compound refractive lens according to claim 8, wherein d.sub.ave.ltoreq.25 .mu.m. 10. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein said unit lenses are fabricated separately and do not have a common substrate. 11. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1 through 6 wherein each of the unit lenses is selected from a group of lenses consisting of a plano-concave lens, a bi-concave lens, a plano-convex lens, a bi-convex lens, and a Fresnel lens. 12. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1 through 6 wherein the plurality of the unit lenses are cylindrical and focus in one dimension. 13. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1 through 6 wherein the plurality of the unit lenses have a round or rectangular mechanical aperture and focus in two dimensions. 14. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein each unit lens is rigidified by a thicker contiguous support structure. 15. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein the unit lenses are made using injection or compression molding manufacturing techniques. 16. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein the unit lens structure shape is fabricated on top of and supported by a thin plastic film and by a contiguous structure which supports and rigidifies the unit lens. 17. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the unit lens structure shape is fabricated by molding the lens using spherical shaping means such as stainless steel ball or balls or a parabolic shaping means supported by a contiguous structure which supports and rigidifies the lens. 18. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein the unit lens structure shape is fabricated in a thin metal substrate utilizing spherical shaping tool such as a ball end mill, or a parabolic shaping tool. 19. A compound refractive lens according to any of claims 1, or 4 wherein the plurality of thin unit lenses have refractive Fresnel shapes, are made of plastic and are of a single material. 20. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, or 4 wherein the plurality of thin unit lenses have refractive Fresnel shapes, are made of plastic, are of a single material, and supported and rigidified by thicker contiguous support structure. 21. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, or 4 wherein the plurality of thin unit lenses have refractive a Fresnel shape wherein said Fresnel shape fabricated on or in a thin support film by lithographic techniques or compression molding techniques; and whereas said thin support film is supported and rigidified by thicker contiguous support structure. 22. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, or 4 wherein the plurality of thin unit lenses have a refractive Fresnel shape that are fabricated by compression or injection molding techniques wherein said compression and injection molding techniques include utilizing molds fabricated using diamond lathe turning or lithographic techniques. 23. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein the unit lenses are held by a cylindrical alignment and support element whereby the lenses have an average optical axis. 24. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 wherein the unit lenses are held and aligned by two or more alignment pins or rods whereby the lenses have an average optical axis. 25. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the unit lenses are aligned with an alignment means and then held together using an adhesive, an epoxy, a metal bonding means or any other fastening means. 26. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, further comprising the number of lenses, N, arranged as a succession of elements to form a compound refractive lens, the individual lenses being constructed of a material having atomic weight A, an atomic number Z, and a density .rho..gtoreq.3 gm/cm.sup.3. 27. A compound refractive lens according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, further comprising the number of lenses, N, arranged as a succession of elements to form a compound refractive lens, wherein N.ltoreq.1/.mu.(.omega..sub.k)d, where d is the minimum thickness of the individual lenses; .mu.(.omega.) is the linear absorption coefficient of the lens material at frequency .omega..sub.k, where .omega..sub.k is the K-shell, L-shell or M-shell photoabsorption edge frequency of the lens material. 28. A compound refractive lens system composed of lenses manufactured as described in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 forming an achromatic x-ray lens, a telescope, a microscope or lens systems for the manipulation and use of x-rays. 29. A plurality of compound refractive lens composed of lenses manufactured as described in claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 whose focal lengths and separation are adjusted such that the focal length of the entire lens system is the same over a wide range of x-ray photon energies that is greater than any of the individual compound refractive lenses that compose the lens system. 30. A compound refractive lens as in claim 4, wherein .sigma..sub.t less than the smallest zone (r.sub.m -r.sub.m-1).