Fabrication of unit lenses for compound refractive lenses

The present invention relates to x-ray imaging of objects for medical, industrial and scientific applications; for example, it relates to the medical imaging of the human body, and the x-ray inspection of objects to determine content. New methods are presented for the fabrication of thin lenses by replicating high quality optical surfaces onto unit lenses for compound refractive lens systems for the focusing, collection, collimation, and general manipulation of x-rays. These lens systems will have medical, industrial and scientific applications. A compound refractive lens for focusing, collecting, collimating and imaging with x-rays comprising N unit lenses numbered i=1 through N unit lenses substantially aligned along an axis such that i-th lens having a displacement torthogonal to said axis, with said axis located such that the sum of the lens displacements tequals zero, and wherein each of said unit lenses comprises a lens material of lithium, carbon, or polyimide. A method for molding and housing the unit lenses is provided such that the unit lens have high surface and optical quality, and do not chemically deteriorate due to absorption of water or oxidation.