Reflective soft x-ray microscope for the investigation of objects illuminated by laser-plasma radiation

Multilayer mirrors were used in a soft x-ray optical system which formed magnified images of microscopic objects with a resolution of ~0.2 μm at the wavelength 20 nm. The system consisted of a laser-plasma source, an x-ray condenser, a Schwarzschild objective with a magnification 20, a set of filters, and a detector. The quality of the x-ray optics and the precision of alignment of the system components made it possible to attain a resolution of ~0.2 μm when the full aperture of the objective was used. A single shot in the form of the second harmonic of an Nd laser, generating pulses of ~0.5 J energy and ~1.5 ns duration, was sufficient for exposure.