Condenser Zone Plate Illumination for Point X-Ray Sources

An X-ray microscope device operable for imaging a sample with X-rays in the range of about 0.5 to about 160 nm, the microscope device comprising:

• a condenser zone plate operable to receive X-ray radiation from a point source and focus the X-ray radiation onto a specimen sample;
• a sample stage onto which the specimen sample can be mounted, where the sample stage is operable to be aligned with a third order of diffraction of the condenser zone plate that is proximal to the condenser zone plate;
• a pinhole device disposed between the condenser zone plate and the sample stage, wherein the pinhole device permits X-rays of a desired wavelength to pass through the pinhole to the sample stage and blocks radiation of undesired wavelengths from the sample stage;
• an objective zone plate operable to receive X-ray radiation that has passed through the specimen sample and focus the short wavelength radiation onto an imaging device;
• and
• wherein the numerical aperture of the condenser zone plate at the third order of diffraction is greater than or equal to the numerical aperture of the objective zone plate.

A method of imaging microscopic features of a specimen sample comprising:

• mounting a specimen sample on a sample stage;
• providing a point source of short wavelength radiation;
• focusing the short wavelength radiation onto a specimen sample with a condenser zone plate array;
• aligning the sample stage with an order of diffraction of the condenser zone plate that is greater than one and proximal to the condenser zone plate;
• focusing the short wavelength radiation that has passed through the specimen sample with an objective zone plate lens so that the short wavelength radiation is directed onto an imaging device.