Holographic and diffractive x-ray imaging using waveguides as quasi-point sources

We report on lensless nanoscale imaging using x-ray waveguides as ultra-small sources for quasi-point-like illumination. We first give a brief account of the basic optical setup, an overview of the progress in waveguide fabrication and characterization, as well as the basics of image formation. We then compare one-step holographic and iterative ptychographic reconstruction, both for simulated and experimental data collected on samples illuminated by waveguided beams. We demonstrate that scanning the sample with partial overlap can substantially improve reconstruction quality in holographic imaging, and that divergent beams make efficient use of the limited dynamic range of current detectors, regardless of the reconstruction scheme. Among different experimental settings presented, smallest source dimensions of 29 nm (horizontal) ×17 nm have been achieved, using multi-modal interference effects. These values have been determined by ptychographic reconstruction of a Ta test structure at 17.5 keV and have been corroborated by simulations of field propagation inside the waveguide.