Design of the X-ray Nanoprobe Beamline at the Taiwan Photon Source

Abstract

The X-ray Nanoprobe (XNP) Beamline Project has been granted as one of the first seven beamlines at the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS). The XNP beamline and the associated instruments are designed to utilize the highly brilliant TPS light source for resolving the atomic, chemical and electronic structures of semiconductor-based devices with tens nm spatial resolution in tomographic and nondestructive manners. The beamline optics is deliberated to deliver focal spot around 40 nm with photon flux in the level of 1010 photons/sec. The stability of the focal position will be highly improved by operating the double crystal monochromator (DCM) in horizontally diffracting geometry, with minor sacrifice in energy resolution. The relative movement between sample and focusing optics is controlled by ultra-precise linear translational/flexure stages and monitored by laser interferometers. The end stations will provide conventional X-ray probes including, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray absorption fine structures (XAFS), X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL), and the emerging techniques, such as the Bragg-ptychography (BP) to overcome the spatial resolution set by the focusing optics. A novel scanning mechanism incorporating surface diffraction and BP for mapping the 3D interfacial strains is under development. The XNP beamline and associated instruments are expected to take the first synchrotron light by the end of 2015.