J. Phys. IV France 104 (2003) 535
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:20030139

Differential interference contrast X-ray microscopy with twin zone plates at ESRF beamline ID21

T. Wilhein¹, B. Kaulich², E. Di Fabrizio³, F. Romanato³, M. Altissimo³, J. Susini⁴, B. Fayard⁴, U. Neuhäusler⁴, S. Cabrini⁵ and F. Polack<sup>6

1</sup>  Rheinanrcampus, University of Applied Sciences, Südallee 2, 53424 Remagen, Germany
²  X-Ray Microscopy Section, ELETTRA-Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34012 Basovizza (Trieste), Italy
³  TAS-IN at ELETTRA-Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34012 Basovizza (Trieste), Italy
⁴  ID21 X-Ray Microscopy Beamline, ESRF, BP. 220, 38043 Grenoble cedex, France
⁵  DXRL Bemline at ELETTRA-Sincrotrone Trieste, S.S. 14, km 163.5 in Area Science Park, 34012 Basovizza (Trieste), Italy
⁶  Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation du Rayonnement Électronique (LURE), Campus d'Orsay, bâtiment 209d, 91405 Orsay cedex, France

Abstract
We describe a novel approach for converting the specimens phase information into strong image contrast in the x-ray region, the differential interference contrast x-ray microscopy (X-DIC). In the used setup, X-DIC operation was accomplished by a twin zone plate (TZP), i.e. two zone plates on both sides of the same substrate, laterally shifted by about one outermost zone width. Once a TZP has been successfully produced by means of especially developed nanofabrication processes, it is as easy to use as a single zone plate, without any alignment difficulty or further requirements to the coherence of the illumination. The tremendeous contrast enhancement was demonstrated at the microscopy beamline ID21 at ESRF in Grenoble for test objects and biological samples. TZPs allow for full field X-DIC imaging as well as for DIC scanning transmission x-ray microscopy. The first experiments were camed out at 0.31 nm wave] ength (4 keV photon energy), and features down to approx. 60 nm could be resolved in X-DIC.

© EDP Sciences 2003