Long-term performance and durability of Ir/B4C multilayer x-ray mirrors: focusing on composition, structure, and reflectivity properties

Atefeh Jafari*, Desiree D. M. Ferreira, Shima Kadkhodazadeh, Takeshi Kasama, Sonny Massahi, Sara Svendsen, Lan M. Vu, Peter L. Henriksen, Zoltàn M. Balogh, Michael Krumrey, Levent Cibik, Finn E. Christensen, Brian Shortt

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

160 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Multilayer (ML) thin film coatings have shown promise in achieving hard x-ray nanofocusing with high reflectivity and high resolution. The chemical, structural, and long-term stability of Ir/B4C MLs, which are of great interest to the synchrotron and astrophysics communities, are not yet fully understood. The evolution of the x-ray performance of Ir/B4C ML mirrors was monitored over 5 years, and the chemical and structural properties were investigated in depth. Reflectivity scans reveal significant alteration in the energy range of 3.4 to 10 keV over this period. Furthermore, thickness and density degradation of B4C layers were observed in scanning electron transmission microscopy results. The oxidation of B4C occurs only for the top layers, whereas the buried B4C layers go through various complex chemical modifications. The x-ray reflectivity model of Ir/B4C structure was modified, based on the experimental findings, and resulted in good understanding of the long-term reflectivity performance of the x-ray mirror coatings.
Original languageEnglish
Article number 034005
JournalJournal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems
Volume6
Issue number3
Number of pages15
ISSN2329-4124
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • X-ray mirror
  • Multilayer
  • Reflectivity
  • Electron microscopy
  • Thin film

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Long-term performance and durability of Ir/B4C multilayer x-ray mirrors: focusing on composition, structure, and reflectivity properties'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this