SBIR Phase II: A Novel Method to Manufacture Ultra-Precise Diffraction Gratings for X-Ray Analysis and Imaging

这个小型企业创新研究二期项目将彻底改变超高精度x射线衍射光栅的制造。机械规则，x射线光栅用于同步辐射和自由电子激光设备，在那里它们定义用于化学分析和成像研究的x射线的波长，在光伏，电子材料，催化，结构生物学，环境科学等领域，服务于各种各样的行业和学术学科。这项工作将推进一种制造这种光栅的新方法，该方法使用一对原子力显微镜（afm）串联工作-一个用于划线，另一个用于原位成像。这种组合提供了对特征形状和定位的前所未有的控制，并将允许在超过400平方厘米的区域上以纳米级精度刻划特征。如果成功，结果将是制造全息光学的新方法，不仅用于同步加速器和自由电子激光设备，而且用于各种其他应用。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于这样一个事实，即在2009年至2011年期间，x&#8208；射线光栅市场。世界上仅有的两家机械光栅供应商不再接受订单，要么是因为他们的技术过时，要么是因为严重的基础设施问题。这种世界产能的消失发生在对x&amp；#8208；射线光栅达到了空前的高度，而且还在不断增长。通过与x射线设备直接通信进行的广泛市场研究显示，目前全球需要430个光栅，其售价为6万美元，意味着全球市场机会约为2 600万美元。如果成功的话，它应该有可能占领这个市场，并把这个制造领域带回美国。撇开光栅不谈，这个项目提出了一种创造全息光学的新方法，可以基于定制的光学波前工程实现新技术。这种方法可以画出曲线，形成弧或椭圆，提供横向聚焦，或显示拓扑缺陷，产生具有高角动量的电磁涡流。这些功能可以在显微镜，极紫外（EUV）光刻，或为大众市场的光学光栅复制品创造大师的使用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will revolutionize the manufacture of ultrahigh precision, x-ray diffraction gratings. Mechanically ruled, x-ray gratings are used at synchrotron radiation and free-electron laser facilities, where they define the wavelength of x-rays used for chemical analysis and imaging studies in the fields of photovoltaics, electronic materials, catalysis, structural biology, environmental science, and others, serving a wide variety of industries and academic disciplines. This effort will advance a new approach to fabricating such gratings that uses a pair of atomic force microscopes (AFMs) operating in tandem - one for scribing and the other for in situ imaging. This combination provides unprecedented control over feature shape and positioning, and will allow scribing of features with nm-scale precision over areas exceeding 400 square centimeters. If successful, the result will be a new approach to fabricating holographic optics for use not only at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities, but for a variety of other applications.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project stems from the fact that, between 2009 and 2011, a crisis occurred in the x‐ray grating market. The only two world suppliers of mechanically ruled gratings ceased to take orders, either because their technology was obsolete or because of severe infrastructure problems. This vanishing of world capacity has taken place when demand for x‐ray gratings is at an all-time high and growing. Extensive market research via direct communication with x-ray facilities has revealed a current need for 430 gratings worldwide, which at a sale price of $60,000 implies a global market opportunity of approximately $26 million. If successful, it should be possible to capture this market and bring this area of manufacturing back to the U.S. Gratings aside, this project presents a new approach to creating holographic optics that could enable new technologies based on the engineering of customized, optical wave fronts. This approach can scribe curved lines, forming arcs or ellipses, providing lateral focusing, or exhibiting topological defects that create electromagnetic vortices having high angular momentum. These features may find use in microscopy, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, or the creation of masters for the mass market for optical grating replicas.