Three-dimensional coherent X-ray surface scattering imaging near total external reflection

Tao Sun*, Zhang Jiang, Joseph Strzalka, Leonidas Ocola, Jin Wang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lensless X-ray coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) has emerged as a thriving field promising applications in materials and biological sciences with a theoretical imaging resolution only limited by the X-ray wavelength. Most CDI methods use transmission geometry, which is not suitable for nanostructures grown on opaque substrates or for objects of interest comprising only surfaces or interfaces. Attempts have been made to perform CDI experiments in reflection geometry, both optically and with X-rays, but the reconstruction resulted in mostly planar images, with less success in the third dimension. Here, we discuss the development of coherent surface scattering imaging in grazing-incidence geometry that takes advantage of enhanced X-ray surface scattering and interference near total external reflection. We demonstrate the successful reconstruction of substrate-supported non-periodic surface patterns in three dimensions with nanometre resolution in the direction normal to the substrate, promising wide applications in elucidating structures in substrate-supported and buried nanoelectronics and photonics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)586-590
Number of pages5
JournalNature Photonics
Volume6
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2012

Funding

The authors thank X. Huang for constructive suggestions, and M. Guizar, S. Sinha, C. Jacobson, A. Sandy and S. Narayanan for valuable discussions. The authors also thank A. Khounsary for providing the ultraflat silicon substrate, and B. Liu, A. Yan, V. Dravid, J. Qian, L. Assoufid, R. Divan, D. Rosenmann, C. Liu and M. Wieczorek for their assistance with sample fabrication and characterization. R. Bradford, T. Lutes and M. Rivers are thanked for their cooperation with detector usage. Use of the Advanced Photon Source and the Center for Nanoscale Materials were supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Science (contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357).

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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