Customized Rotation Stage for Sophisticated Soft X-Ray Laminography

Customized Rotation Stage for Sophisticated Soft X-Ray Laminography

3D imaging with synchrotron radiation is a widely used tool that provides impressively detailed insights into the internal structure of complex objects. The short wavelengths of soft X-rays promise spatial resolutions in the low single-digit nanometer range. However, the maximum accessible sample volume is limited by the low penetration depth
of soft X-rays.
Laminography, on the other hand, is characterized by the positioning of very thin, laterally extended samples angular to the direction of the X-ray beam. The samples are then rotated around an axis perpendicular to the beam. A camera takes absorption contrast images of the samples in many different positions, which are then used to calculate 3D images of the samples.
The combination of soft X-rays and laminography combines the advantages of both technologies and thus opens up promising perspectives. Potential applications range from functionalized nanomaterials, biological nanostructures with photonic properties and sophisticated magnetic materials.
For the implementation of soft X-ray laminography (SoXL) at the scanning transmission X-ray spectromicroscope of the PolLux beamline at the Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, a customized high-performance rotation stage with HV compatibility from SmarAct was utilized for the crucial angular sample rotation.