Focusing of hard X-rays to 30nm scale

Extremely sharp focusing of hard X-rays has been achieved with a device called a Multilayer Laue Lens (MLL), recently developed at Argonne National Laboratory in the United States. The device consists of a stack of alternating layers of metal and silicon, made by depositing progressively thicker layers. The main idea is that the structure can work as a linear zone plate for X-rays. The device has an ability to focus the X-rays with an energy level of 19.5 keV to 30 nm, which is almost the smallest beam size for hard X-rays. Promising applications for a better X-ray lens would be in full-field and/or scanning probe microscopy. For more information, see the paper, "Nanometer Linear Focusing of Hard X Rays by a Multilayer Laue Lens", H. C. Kang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 127401 (2006)