A Water-Window Soft X-Ray Microscope for Small Laboratories

描述（由申请人提供）： 相关性：软X射线显微镜是一种用于水合生物细胞的快速，高分辨率成像技术，目前仅在国家实验室使用同步加速器光。该项目的目标是开发一种使用紧凑型软X射线源的软X射线显微镜，可用于小型生物实验室，用于快速分析细胞，以进行疾病识别和药物发现。 项目摘要：软X射线显微镜，使用所谓的“水窗”在2.3和4.4纳米（nm）波长之间的光，允许冷冻水合生物细胞的成像，含碳蛋白质和水之间的高对比度，分辨率低至15 nm，并具有快速的样品周转。Energetiq Technology开发了一种称为无电极z箍缩氙等离子体源的新型光源技术，最初用于13.5nm波长的半导体制造行业，可以提供软X射线源，从而实现实验室规模的软X射线显微镜。软X射线显微镜的成本与电子显微镜相当，但样品到图像收集时间减少了100倍以上。该项目包括与纽约沃兹沃斯实验室和劳伦斯伯克利实验室的专家研究人员合作，1）为小型实验室规模的显微镜开发一个详细的模型，包括成像所需的亮度和线宽，2）修改以前开发的13.5纳米无电极z箍缩源，使用氮气或其他气体代替氙气，并使用专用功率和光谱监测器测量2.3 nm至4.4 nm范围内发射线的实际亮度和线宽，以及3）优化光源以证明无电极Z箍缩方法可以产生足够的软X射线光以在可接受的时间内提供水合细胞图像。这项研究的后续阶段将利用已经开发的用于同步加速器的软X射线显微镜技术，开发具有成本效益的实验室规模显微镜。这样的软X射线显微镜将增强对例如细胞运动、有丝分裂和囊泡运输的研究。显微镜将允许在最佳保存的标本中更快速地成像标记的分子组分，从而加快细胞研究的步伐。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Relevance: Soft x-ray microscopy is a fast, high resolution imaging technique for hydrated biological cells that is limited today by the need to use synchrotron light, available only at the National Laboratories. This project's goal is to develop a soft x-ray microscope using a compact source of soft x-rays that can be used in small biological laboratories for the rapid analysis of cells for disease identification and drug discovery. Project Summary: Soft X-Ray microscopy, using light in the so-called 'water-window' between 2.3 and 4.4 nanometer (nm) wavelength, allows imaging of frozen-hydrated biological cells, with high contrast between carbon containing proteins and water, with resolution down to 15nm, and with rapid sample turnaround. Energetiq Technology has developed a novel light source technology called an electrodeless z-pinch xenon plasma source, originally for use in the semiconductor fabrication industry at 13.5nm wavelength, that could provide a source of soft x-rays that would enable a lab-scale soft x-ray microscope. The cost of a soft x-ray microscope would be comparable to an electron microscope, but with a sample to image collection time reduced by a factor of more than 100. The project includes collaboration with expert researchers at the NYS Wadsworth Lab and Lawrence Berkeley Lab to 1) develop a detailed model for a small lab-scale microscope including the required brightness and linewidth required for the imaging, 2) modify the previously developed 13.5nm electrodeless z-pinch source, use nitrogen or other gases in place of xenon and measure the actual brightness and linewidth for emission lines in the 2.3nm to 4.4nm range using specilized power and spectral monitors, and 3) optimize the light source to demonstrate that the electrodeless-z pinch approach can produce sufficient soft x-ray light to provide hydrated cell images in an acceptable time. Subsequent phases of this research will be to leverage the soft x-ray microcope technology already developed for use on the synchrotrons into the development of a cost effective lab-scale microscope. Such a soft x-ray microscope would enhance the study of, for example, cell motility, mitosis and vesicular transport. The microscope would allow the more rapid imaging of labeled molecular components in optimally preserved specimens, thereby increasing the pace of cellular research.