Nanoscale dark-field imaging in full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

Abstract

The dark-field signal uncovers details beyond conventional X-ray attenuation contrast, which is especially valuable for material sciences. In particular, dark-field techniques are able to reveal structures beyond the spatial resolution of a setup. However, its implementation is limited to the micrometer regime. Therefore, we propose a technique to extend full-field transmission X-ray microscopy by the dark-field signal. The proposed method is based on a well-defined illumination of a beam-shaping condenser, which allows to block the bright field by motorized apertures in the back focal plane of the objective lens. This method offers a simple implementation and enables rapid modality changes while maintaining short scan times, making dark-field imaging widely available at the nanometer scale.