Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) is a new X-ray optics technology under development in Europe, forming the ESA baseline technology for the International X-ray Observatory candidate mission studied jointly by ESA, NASA, and JAXA. With its matrix-like structure, made of monocrystalline-bonded Silicon mirrors, it can achieve the required angular resolution and low mass density required for future large X-ray observatories. Glass-based Micro Pore Optics (MPO) achieve modest angular resolution compared to SPO, but are even lighter and have achieved sufficient maturity level to be accepted as the X-ray optic technology for instruments on board the Bepi-Colombo mission, due to visit the planet Mercury. Opportunities for technology transfer to ground-based applications include material science, security and scanning equipment, and medical diagnostics. Pore X-ray optics combine high performance with modularity and economic industrial production processes, ensuring cost effective implementation.

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We present the latest progress on the industrial scale coating facility for the Advanced Telescope for High-ENergy Astrophysics (ATHENA) mission. The facility has been successfully commissioned and tested, completing an important milestone in preparation of the Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) production capability. We qualified the coating facility by depositing iridium and boron carbide thin films in different configurations under various process conditions including pre-coating in-system plasma cleaning. The thin films were characterized with X-Ray Reflectometry (XRR) using laboratory X-ray sources Cu K-α at 8.048 keV and PTB's four-crystal monochromator beamline at the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in the energy range from 3.6 keV to 10.0 keV. Additional X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were performed with Al K-α radiation to analyze the composition of the deposited thin films.

The science requirements for the Athena X-ray mirror are to provide a collecting area of 2 m 2 at 1 keV, an angular resolution of ∼5 arc seconds half energy eidth (HEW) and a field of view of diameter 40-50 arc minutes. This combination of area and angular resolution over a wide field are possible because of unique features of the Silicon pore optics (SPO) technology used. Here we describe the optimization and modifications of the SPO technology required to achieve the Athena mirror specification and demonstrate how the optical design of the mirror system impacts on the scientific performance of Athena.