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第二阶段项目将彻底改变超高精度X射线衍射栅的制造。机械定尺，x射线光栅用于同步辐射和自由电子激光设施，它们定义用于光伏、电子材料、催化、结构生物学、环境科学和其他领域的化学分析和成像研究的x射线波长，服务于广泛的工业和学术学科。这项工作将推进一种制造这种光栅的新方法，这种方法使用一对原子力显微镜(AFM)串联操作-一个用于划线，另一个用于原位成像。这一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平方厘米的区域内以纳米级精度绘制特征。如果成功，结果将是一种制造全息光学器件的新方法，不仅用于同步加速器和自由电子激光设施，还用于各种其他应用。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于这样一个事实，即2009年至2011年间，X射线光栅市场发生了一场危机。世界上仅有的两家机械格栅供应商停止接受订单，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。这种全球产能的消失，发生在对x射线光栅的需求处于历史高位且还在不断增长的时候。通过与X射线设备直接通信进行的广泛市场调查显示，目前全球对430个光栅的需求，以60,000美元的销售价格意味着全球市场机会约为2,600万美元。如果成功，应该有可能占领这一市场，并将这一制造领域带回美国。抛开光栅不谈，该项目提出了一种创造全息光学的新方法，可以实现基于定制光波前工程的新技术。这种方法可以划出曲线，形成弧形或椭圆形，提供横向聚焦，或者显示出产生具有高角动量的电磁涡旋的拓扑缺陷。这些特征可用于显微镜、极紫外(EUV)光刻，或为大众市场制造光纤光栅复制品的母版。

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.