Soft X-ray Monochromators
Soft x-rays span the region between x-ray and UV and include energies from approximately 10 to 100 Å (0.12–1.2 keV)—a range that is particularly interesting for x-ray spectroscopy. While important applications include x-ray astronomy and metrology of high-energy plasmas, soft x-rays also have a potential use in next-generation surface inspection and material characterization tools. In these applications, the critical optical element is a high-quality crystal with suitable interplanar spacing to permit diffraction and focusing of soft x-rays. Inrad Optics offers several crystals that are suitable for these applications.