Patent ID: 7331714

Claim:
An optomechanical structure for a multifunctional hard x-ray nanoprobe instrument for characterization of a specimen including nanoscale materials and devices, said nanoprobe instrument including at least one first detector for a scanning probe mode for providing fluorescence spectroscopy and diffraction contrast imaging, and at least one second detector for a full field transmission mode for providing two-dimensional (2-D) imaging and tomography, said optomechanical structure for said nanoprobe instrument comprising: zone plate optics for focusing and imaging optical control; said zone plate optics including a hard x-ray focusing zone plate receiving a hard x-ray beam and applying focused x-rays to the specimen; said zone plate optics including subcomponents selectively moved in and out of the hard x-ray beam respectively for the scanning probe mode and the full field transmission mode; a stage group for positioning said subcomponents of said zone plate optics respectively for the scanning probe mode and the full field transmission mode; said stage group providing a three-dimensional positioning capability; said stage group including a plurality of DC-motor driven translation stages, a piezoelectric transducer (PZT)-driven high-stiffness horizontal stage and a PZT-driven high-stiffness vertical stage, each PZT-driven high-stiffness horizontal stage and vertical stage including overconstrained weak-link parallelogram mechanisms for precision motion control; and a specimen stage group for positioning the specimen; and said specimen stage group providing temperature control for the specimen.