High‐efficiency focusing and imaging by dielectric kinoform zone plate lenses with soft X‐rays

With fast advances in enhancing the focusing/imaging resolution of Fresnel zone plate lenses toward sub‐10 nm, low diffraction efficiency in connection with their rectangular zone shape still remains a big issue in both soft and hard X‐ray microscopy. In hard X‐ray optics, encouraging progress has recently been reported in our earlier attempts of high focusing efficiency by 3D kinoform shaped metallic zone plates, formed by greyscale electron beam lithography. This paper addresses our efforts towards high focusing/imaging efficiency by developing a novel dielectric kinoform zone plate lens for soft X‐rays. The effects of the zone materials and zone shapes on the focusing/imaging quality were first theoretically investigated by a modified thin‐grating‐approximation method, revealing superior efficiencies of dielectric kinoform zone plates over rectangular ones in metals. Optical characterizations of replicated dielectric kinoform zone plates by greyscale electron beam lithography demonstrate a focusing efficiency of 15.5% with a resolution of 110 nm in the water window of X‐rays. Apart from high efficiency, the novel kinoform zone plate lenses developed in this work exhibit significant advantages over conventional zone plates, i.e. simplified process, low cost and no need for a beamstop. The effects of zone materials and zone shapes on the focusing/imaging quality of dielectric kinoform zone plates have been theoretically investigated by a modified thin‐grating‐approximation method. Greyscale electron beam lithography was applied to generate 3D kinoform zones in HSQ and PMMA for soft X‐rays. The dielectric kinoform zone plate lens demonstrates high diffraction efficiency well beyond conventional X‐ray optics.