An established Slovak research institute has developed a new type of four-bounce X-ray monochromator and is looking for licensees

The high-resolution X-ray diffraction technique is relevant for materials with a high structural ordering of basic units (atoms, molecules), which is characterized by a single three-dimensional periodic crystal lattice throughout the entire volume of the material. These are typically single crystals or epitaxially grown thin layers on a substrate. The high ordering of the structure requires the measurements of X-ray diffraction with high-resolution, which in the case of angle-dispersive measurement means the requirement for a monoenergetic X-ray beam with a narrow bandwidth around the Kα1 line, where the Kα2 component is effectively suppressed in addition to the Kβ component. At the same time, it is important that the filtration of the Kα2 component is accompanied by a minimal decrease of the useful intensity of the Kα1 line at the output of the monochromator. This is particularly important for X-ray measurements of low-scattering nanomaterials and nanostructures. To suppress the Kα2 component in high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements, a four-bounce Bartels monochromator is nowadays used, which consists of two monolithic channel-cut monochromators with parallel walls. These monochromators are made of the same material (most often single crystals of germanium or silicon) and use the same X-ray diffraction (usually 220 or 440). In the basic version of the Bartels monochromator, the diffractive walls of the channels are parallel to the respective diffraction planes in each monolithic monochromator, thus all four diffractions are symmetrical (zero angle of asymmetry α). Monolithic monochromators have a non-dispersive arrangement of parallel walls of the channels and therefore they do not change the energy width of the beam. The effective suppression of the Kα2 component is due to the dispersive arrangement between the second diffractive wall of the channel of the first monolithic monochromator and the first diffractive wall of the channel of the second monochromator. In commercial Bartels monochromators, there is a possibility of fine rotation and transverse displacement of monolithic monochromators, which can be used to tune the output intensity to the maximum. The advantage of the Bartels monochromator is that it maintains the position and direction of propagation of the X-ray beam at the output, which simplifies the construction of X-ray diffractometer for high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements. The problem of the Bartels monochromator is the low transmittance of the Kα1 component (ratio of the output and input intensity of the X-ray beam), and thus the low intensity at the output. This may prevent the use of this monochromator for example for measurements of epitaxial thin layers and generally low-scattering samples or samples with a small diffraction volume which have a monocrystalline structure. A team of inventors from an established Slovak scientific and research institute has managed to solve the above-mentioned problem of the Bartels monochromator by designing a new four-bounce monochromator, which has a higher transmittance of the Kα1 component than the Bartels monochromator, while effectively suppressing the Kα2 component. The four-bounce X-ray monochromator for high-resolution X-ray diffraction according to this invention comprises two monolithic channel-cut monochromators from the same material (germanium single crystal or silicon single crystal) which are adapted to use two different diffraction crystallographic planes (111) and (220), and where the second monolithic channel-cut monochromator is rotated relative to the first monochromator by an angle equal to the difference of the Bragg angles of the diffraction crystallographic planes (220) and (111). The Slovak scientific and research institute would like to cooperate via licensee agreement. More details explained in the Partner Sought.