Shimadzu Corporation

The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research

Hideo Hirose

Kozo Ando

Tamio Hara

Yoshinobu Aoyagi

An X-ray generating apparatus in which X-rays are emitted from laser plasma, the X-ray generating apparatus including a strong magnetic field generating device for generating a magnetic field component substantially parallel with the target surface in the vicinity of the laser plasma. The magnetic field component is arranged to generate a magnetic force which acts directly on charged particles in the laser plasma to bend the tracks of the charged particles, causing the charged particles to be confined in a magnetic field formed by the magnetic field component. The magnetic flux of the strong magnetic field is directed to a direction which is different from the direction in which the laser plasma is generated. An X-ray supply object is disposed in the laser plasma generating direction. Charged particles, liable to be directed to the X-ray supply object, are mainly confined in the strong magnetic field.

X-ray generating apparatus and X-ray microscope

An X-ray microscope utilizing X-rays radiating from a laser-irradiated target so as to form an X-ray image of a specimen placed in a sample cell, the X-ray microscope includes a target for radiating X-rays when the same is irradiated with a laser beam, a sample cell for housing a specimen, the sample cell provided near the surface of target placed opposite to where the target is irradiated with the laser beam, and a detector for forming an X-ray image of the specimen by X-ray penetration, wherein the target, the sample cell and the detector are unified in a unit. The unit is placed at a place where the laser beam is irradiated to the target. A spacer is provided between the target and the sample cell, wherein the size of the spacer is determined depending on a distance between the specimen and the target. With this construction, this facilitates the fabrication of the unit. The unit is placed in the miniature vacuum chamber which comprises a division for housing the unit, and a space provided toward the target. And the vacuum chamber housing the unit is placed in an X-ray microscope.

X-ray microscope

An X-ray generating apparatus generates X-rays from plasma formed by irradiating a laser beam to a target. The apparatus includes an X-ray transmitting film disposed at at least one side of the target with a predetermined gap provided therebetween. The X-ray transmitting film has a thickness such that the film is not broken due to an action in the X-ray generating process. The X-rays are taken out through the X-ray transmitting film. An X-ray microscope can employ such an X-ray generating apparatus, with the X-rays from the apparatus being guided to the sample, with the sample to be observed being disposed in the vicinity of the X-ray transmitting film, and with a detecting device for detecting an X-ray image formed by X-rays transmitted through the sample.

Method and apparatus for generating X rays by laser impingement on a target in a vacuum enclosure to generate plasma, wherein the target comprises a first film made of a suitable metal and a second film made of an X-ray transmitting material and superimposed on one surface of the metal film, and with a space being formed between opposite parts of the first and second films, a laser beam is projected onto the part of the metal film which corresponds to the space, so that plasma is generated and confined in the space for a longer time than otherwise, thereby to increase the efficiency of X-ray generation.

Method and apparatus for generating X rays

A photoelectron microscope wherein a normal conductive coil is used to produce a divergent magnetic field to form an enlarged photoelectron image of a specimen to be examined. The coil is only momentarily energized by pulse current, and in synchronism with the energization of the coil and while the change of the resultant magnetic field with time is small, the radiation source is actuated to produce a radiation pulse so that the photoelectrons produced upon irradiation of a specimen with the pulse flies through the magnetic field so as to be received by an image forming device. The image forming device is operated in synchronism with and a predetermined variable period of time after the actuation of the radiation source thereby to obtain photoelectron images of the specimen of different energy levels. By skimming only those photoelectrons of low energy which are emitted close to the axis of the magnetic field, it is possible to obtain images of high resolution.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Hideo Hirose