Current State of Development of a Microscope Operating at a Wavelength of 3.37 nm at the Institute of Physics of Microstructures of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The study is devoted to the development of a microscope operating at a wavelength of 3.37 nm in the water window. A Schwarzschild lens with a multilayer coating is used as an image-forming objective lens. The microscope has a theoretical resolution of up to 13 nm and a field of view of 7.3–97.5 µm depending on the magnification. A low depth of focus (±37.5 nm) allows one to implement the z-tomography of samples. A schematic diagram of the microscope, the result of aspherizing the mirror collector, and the results of measuring the roughness of the mirror substrates are given. A three-point method for mounting the mirrors and also a magnetic damper operating on Foucault currents are described. The exposure time is estimated.