Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of x-ray imaging detectors having at least a first x-ray imaging detector and a second x-ray imaging detector. The first and second x-ray imaging detectors are configured sequentially along an x-ray beam propagation direction.

Abstract: An x-ray imaging system includes at least one detector and an x-ray source including an x-ray transmissive vacuum window. The x-ray source is configured to produce diverging x-rays emerging from the vacuum window and propagating along an x-ray propagation axis extending through a region of interest of an object to the at least one detector. The diverging x-rays have propagation paths within an angular divergence angle greater than 1 degree centered on the x-ray propagation axis. The system further includes at least one first motion stage configured to rotate the object about a rotation axis. The system further includes at least one second motion stage configured to move the x-ray source and the at least one detector relative to the object to switch between a laminography configuration and a tomography configuration.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an x-ray source configured to generate x-rays, at least some of which impinge a sample and at least one diffractor configured to concurrently diffract at least some of the x-rays from the sample in a first direction and in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The apparatus further includes at least one two-dimensional (2D) position-sensitive x-ray detector configured to receive at least some of the diffracted x-rays and to concurrently generate first spectral information of the x-rays diffracted in the first direction and second spectral information of the x-rays diffracted in the second direction. The apparatus further includes circuitry configured to receive the first and second spectral information and to generate a single x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectrum using the first and second spectral information.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an x-ray optic system configured to receive x-rays from an x-ray source, to focus at least some of the x-rays to form a focused x-ray beam, and to irradiate a portion of a sample with the focused x-ray beam. The focused x-ray beam has a depth-of-focus and a focused x-ray spot at the sample. The apparatus further includes a microscope having an objective configured to receive and focus light from the portion of the sample. The objective has an object plane and a field-of-view. The object plane is within a range centered on the depth-of-focus of the focused x-ray beam, the range having a width ten times the depth-of-focus, and the focused x-ray spot is within the field-of-view of the objective.

Abstract: An apparatus includes at least one x-ray source configured to generate x-rays and at least one capillary x-ray focusing optic configured to receive and focus at least some of the generated x-rays into a focused x-ray beam. The apparatus further includes at least one x-ray optical component configured to receive the generated x-rays and/or the focused x-ray beam such that a focus size ?1 of the focused x-ray beam is smaller than a focus size ?0 of the focused x-ray beam without the at least one x-ray optical component.

Abstract: A system includes a stage for supporting a sample having at least first and second atomic elements. The first atomic element has a first characteristic x-ray line with a first energy and the second atomic element has a second characteristic x-ray line with a second energy, the first and second energies lower than 8 keV and separated from one another by less than 1 keV. The system further includes an x-ray source of x-rays having a third energy between the first and second energies and at least one x-ray optic configured to receive and focus at least some of the x-rays as an x-ray beam to illuminate the sample. The system further includes at least one x-ray detector configured to detect fluorescence x-rays produced by the sample in response to being irradiated by the x-ray beam.

Abstract: An x-ray source includes an x-ray transmissive window having an x-ray transmittance greater than or equal to 20% for at least some x-rays having an x-ray energy less than 1 keV. The x-ray source further includes an electron source configured to generate at least one electron beam and an anode assembly configured to generate x-rays in response to electron bombardment by at least some of the electrons of the at least one electron beam from the electron source. The x-ray source further includes at least one x-ray optic is configured to receive at least some of the x-rays from the anode assembly and to direct at least some of the received x-rays to the window to form an x-ray beam.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of stacked flat Bragg diffractors having at least a first flat Bragg diffractor and a second flat Bragg diffractor. The first and second flat Bragg diffractors are positioned sequentially along an x-ray propagation axis of an x-ray beam. The x-ray beam includes x-rays and has an angular beam divergence less than 30 mrad in at least one direction.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a transmission x-ray source having a window including a target layer of at least one x-ray generating material and an internal aperture configured to allow a first portion of an electron beam to bombard the target layer and to block a second portion of the electron beam from bombarding the target. The first portion of the electron beam has a full-width-at-half-maximum width at the target less than or equal to 1 micron. The window is spaced from the internal aperture by a first distance D1. The apparatus further includes an x-ray detector system having a scintillator, an optical assembly, at least one image sensor configured to receive and respond to visible light by generating electrical signals, and a motorized stage configured to controllably adjust a position of the scintillator such that the scintillator is spaced from the window by a second distance D2, wherein D22/(D1+D2)2 is less than 0.2.

Abstract: A three-dimensional x-ray imaging system includes at least one detector and an x-ray source including an x-ray transmissive vacuum window. The x-ray source is configured to produce diverging x-rays emerging from the vacuum window and propagating along an x-ray propagation axis extending through a region of interest of an object to the at least one detector. The diverging x-rays have propagation paths within an angular divergence angle greater than 1 degree centered on the x-ray propagation axis. The system further includes at least one sample motion stage configured to rotate the object about a rotation axis. The system further includes a sample mount configured to hold the object and comprises a first portion in the propagation paths of at least some of the diverging x-rays and having an x-ray transmission greater than 30% for x-rays having energies greater than 50% of a maximum x-ray energy of an x-ray spectrum of the diverging x-rays.

Abstract: An x-ray computed laminography imaging system includes a transmission x-ray source configured to generate x-rays, at least some of the x-rays propagate along an x-ray propagation axis through a region of interest of an object. The system further includes a stage assembly configured to rotate the object about a rotation axis extending through the region of interest. The system further includes at least one x-ray detector configured to intercept at least some of the x-rays propagating along the x-ray propagation axis. The at least one x-ray detector includes a scintillator, at least one optical lens, and two-dimensional pixelated imaging circuitry. The scintillator has a thickness that is substantially parallel to the x-ray propagation axis and the at least one optical lens is configured to receive visible light from the scintillator and to focus the visible light into a two-dimensional image.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to receive x-rays propagating from an x-ray source. The apparatus includes first and second x-ray diffractors, the second x-ray diffractor downstream from the first x-ray diffractor and first and second x-ray detectors. The first x-ray diffractor is configured to receive the x-rays, to diffract a first spectral band of the x-rays to the first x-ray detector, and to transmit at least 2% of the received x-rays to the second x-ray diffractor. The second x-ray diffractor is configured to receive the transmitted x-rays from the first x-ray diffractor and to diffract a second spectral band of the x-rays to the second x-ray detector. The first x-ray detector is configured to measure a first spectrum of the first spectral band of the x-rays and the second x-ray detector is configured to measure a second spectrum of the second spectral band of the x-rays.

Abstract: A three-dimensional x-ray imaging system includes at least one detector and an x-ray source including an x-ray transmissive vacuum window. The x-ray source is configured to produce diverging x-rays emerging from the vacuum window and propagating along an x-ray propagation axis extending through a region of interest of an object to the at least one detector. The diverging x-rays have propagation paths within an angular divergence angle greater than 1 degree centered on the x-ray propagation axis. The system further includes at least one sample motion stage configured to rotate the object about a rotation axis. The system further includes a sample mount configured to hold the object and comprises a first portion in the propagation paths of at least some of the diverging x-rays and having an x-ray transmission greater than 30% for x-rays having energies greater than 50% of a maximum x-ray energy of an x-ray spectrum of the diverging x-rays.

Abstract: A system and method for analyzing a three-dimensional structure of a sample includes generating a first x-ray beam having a first energy bandwidth less than 20 eV at full-width-at-half maximum and a first mean x-ray energy that is in a range of 1 eV to 1 keV higher than an absorption edge energy of a first atomic element of interest, and that is collimated to have a collimation angular range less than 7 mrad in at least one direction perpendicular to a propagation direction of the first x-ray beam; irradiating the sample with the first x-ray beam at a plurality of incidence angles relative to a substantially flat surface of the sample, the incidence angles of the plurality of incidence angles in a range of 3 mrad to 400 mrad; and simultaneously detecting a reflected portion of the first x-ray beam from the sample and detecting x-ray fluorescence x-rays and/or photoelectrons from the sample.

Abstract: A fluorescence mode x-ray absorption spectroscopy apparatus includes an electron bombardment source of x-rays, a crystal analyzer, the source and the crystal analyzer defining a Rowland circle having a Rowland circle radius (R), a detector, and at least one stage configured to position a sample such that at least a portion of the sample is between the crystal analyzer and the detector.

Abstract: An x-ray mirror optic includes a plurality of surface segments with quadric cross-sections having differing quadric parameters. The quadric cross-sections of the surface segments share a common axis and are configured to reflect x-rays in a plurality of reflections along a single optical axis or in a scattering plane defined as containing an incident x-ray and a corresponding reflected x-ray.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a crystal analyzer positioned relative to an x-ray source on a Rowland circle. The crystal analyzer includes crystal planes curved along at least one direction and configured to receive x-rays from the x-ray source and to disperse the received x-rays according to Bragg's law. The apparatus further includes a spatially resolving detector that includes a plurality of x-ray detection elements having a tunable first x-ray energy and/or a tunable second x-ray energy. The plurality of x-ray detection elements are configured to measure received dispersed x-rays having x-ray energies below the first x-ray energy while suppressing measurements above the first x-ray energy and/or to measure the received dispersed x-rays having x-ray energies above the second x-ray energy while suppressing measurements below the second x-ray energy.

Abstract: An x-ray imaging/inspection system includes an x-ray source having a plurality of sub-sources in thermal communication with a substrate. The system further includes a first grating positioned to receive at least some of the x-rays from the x-ray source, a stage configured to hold a sample positioned to receive at least some of the x-rays from the x-ray source, at least one x-ray detector, and a second grating having periodic structures. The x-ray source, the first grating, and the second grating are configured such that a ratio of a pitch p0 of the plurality of sub-sources to a pitch p2 of the periodic structures of the second grating is substantially equal to a ratio of a distance dS-G1 between the plurality of sub-sources and the first grating and a distance dG1-G2 between the first grating and the second grating: (p0/p2)=(dS-G1/dG1-G2).

Abstract: An x-ray source includes an anode assembly having at least one surface configured to rotate about an axis, the at least one surface in a first region. The x-ray source further includes an electron-beam source configured to emit at least one electron beam configured to bombard the at least one surface of the anode assembly. The electron-beam source includes a housing, a cathode assembly, and a window. The housing at least partially bounds a second region and comprises an aperture. The cathode assembly is configured to generate the at least one electron beam within the second region. The window is configured to hermetically seal the aperture, to maintain a pressure differential between the first region and the second region, and to allow the at least one electron beam to propagate from the second region to the first region.

Abstract: A system and a method use x-ray fluorescence to analyze a specimen by illuminating a specimen with an incident x-ray beam having a near-grazing incident angle relative to a surface of the specimen and while the specimen has different rotational orientations relative to the incident x-ray beam. Fluorescence x-rays generated by the specimen in response to the incident x-ray beam are collected while the specimen has the different rotational orientations.