X-ray holographic microscopy using the atomic-force microscope

The present authors have been seeking for some time to improve the resolution of holographic microscopy and have engaged in a continuing series of experiments using the X1A soft x-ray undulator beam line at Brookhaven. The principle strategy for pushing the resolution lower in these experiments has been the use of polymer resists as x-ray detectors and the primary goal has been to develop the technique to become useful for examining wet biological material. In the present paper the authors report on progress in the use of resist for high-spatial-resolution x-ray detection. This is the key step in in-line holography and the one which sets the ultimate limit to the image resolution. The actual recording has always been quite easy, given a high-brightness undulator source, but the difficult step was the readout of the recorded pattern. The authors describe in what follows how they have built a special instrument: an atomic force microscope (AFM) to read holograms recorded in resist. They report the technical reasons for building, rather than buying, such an instrument and they give details of the design and performance of the device. The authors also describe the first attempts to use the system for real holography and the authors show results of both recorded holograms and the corresponding reconstructed images. Finally, the authors try to analyze the effect that these advances are likely to have on the future prospects for success in applications of x-ray holography and the degree to which the other technical systems that are needed for such success are available or within reach