Abstract: An x-ray detector includes a solid scintillating crystal of cadmium tungstate or bismuth germanate; the crystal is mounted in an x-radiation field and includes a first region directly exposed to the x-radiation. A protective shield is arranged adjacent the crystal so as to protect a region in space from direct exposure to x-radiation. The crystal includes a second component which is located in the protected region of space and is thus not exposed to direct x-radiation. Located in contact with opposing faces of the crystal are two pairs of photodiodes, the photodiodes themselves as well as the crystal faces with which they are in contact lie in the protected region in space and therefore are not exposed to direct x-radiation. The photodiodes themselves are also protected from scattered x-radiation by the protected component of the crystal. One pair of photodiodes has equal active areas, which is however different from the active areas of the other pair of photodiodes.

Abstract: An apparatus for simultaneously obtaining both non-dispersive and spatially-resolved soft x-ray spectra from a distributed soft x-ray source. A charge coupled device (CCD) camera having a back-illuminated CCD is irradiated by an x-ray source and a mechanical shutter or electronic shutter effect is used to define an integration period for the pixels of the CCD that ensures that the probability of a single pixel receiving more than one photon during the integration period is small. The magnitude of the charge at each pixel over an integration period is stored in a memory device and, after a plurality of integration periods have passed, the stored data for each pixel may be individually analyzed or combined and displayed to image the x-ray source.

Abstract: An X-ray lithography system for the production of micro-electronic circuits, of the type comprising a mask having detailed circuit patterns thereon which are irradiated by soft X-rays onto a wafer covered with a photosensitive material to replicate the mask patterns, includes an X-ray source spaced from the mask and operative to produce a plurality of input beams of X-rays which are substantially collimated by an array of grazing incidence mirrors to produce a plurality of output X-ray beams which are spaced from one another at the output of the collimator and which are projected in substantially parallel relation to one another toward the mask. Each output beam exhibits a small divergence which causes the several output beams to merge into a single, comparatively large cross-sectional area, composite beam of X-rays at a plane spaced from the collimator. The mask is positioned substantially in said plane for illumination by the composite beam of X-rays.