X-Ray Refractive Large Aperture Rolled Prism Lenses as Condensers for X-Ray Tubes

At the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), refractive X-ray optics are developed. These optics are proposed to be used as condenser optics in X-Ray spectroscopy and microscopy applications with an X-ray tube as a source. To produce the lenses, a thin structured foil with equidistant fins in triangular form is casted from a structured silicon wafer. The foil is then wound around a glass fibre core. Due to this fabrication method, it is possible to produce large-aperture lenses with low absorption in comparison to other types of refractive X-Ray optics, like X-Ray lenses with continuous parabolic shape or prism lenses. The first are limited due to their absorption while the latter are limited due to their mechanical stability of the prism columns. The optimisation of the so called X-Ray rolled prism lenses (RXPL) is underway at the institute and involves several parameters. One important property of the lenses is the correct form of the wound foil layers. This determines the number of necessary refractive elements at a given radius, which in turn determines the refracted slope and focal position of the transmitted beam. The spatial extent of the x-ray source is also being accounted for in the lens design. Another important point is the diameter of the winding core, which should be as small as possible due to the fact that the winding core reduces the active area of the lens. The rolling process itself is also revised to produce lenses with the above-mentioned small diameter winding cores and bend foil layers while sustaining a tight- fitting foil bundle. The lenses are studied at different energies and types of X-Ray tubes, as well as synchrotron sources, to gain additional information of the internal structure of the lens after the winding process. In this paper the current status of the lens development and results at X-Ray tube sources for use in diffractometers is presented.