Vacuum interface to a soft x-ray Synchrotron beam line

A versatile differential pumping system which consists of two independently pumped chambers connected with one of three interchangeable vacuum barriers and various optical elements is described. The three vacuum barriers are a straight tube collimator, a stainless steel capillary array, and a glass capillary array. The vacuum barriers were designed to handle different beam sizes, intensities, and vacuum isolation. The UHV chamber can reach a pressure below 5.0E-10 torr and can sustain a vacuum differential of greater than 1.0E 3 across the barrier. The main advantages of this system are the interchangeable vacuum barriers, the ability to provide control and analysis of the x-ray beam, and the quick ambient to vacuum turn around time