Tight, Flat, Smooth, Ultrathin Metal Foils for Locating Synchrotron Beams

Abstract

It is often desired to locate a synchrotron x-ray beam precisely in space with minimal disturbance of its spatial profile and spectral content. This can be done by passing the beam through an ultrathin, flat, smooth metal foil having well-defined composition, preferably a single chemical element such as chromium, titanium or aluminum. Localized fluorescence of the foil at characteristic x-ray lines where the x-ray beam passes through the foil serves to locate the beam in two dimensions. Use of two such foils along the beam direction locates the x-ray beam spatially and identifies precisely its direction. The accuracy of determining these parameters depends in part upon high uniformity in the thickness of the foil(s), good planarity, and smoothness of the foil(s). In practice, several manufacturing steps to produce a foil must be carried out with precision. The foil must be produced on a smooth removable substrate in such a way that its thickness (or areal density) is as uniform as possible. The foil must be fastened to a support ring that maintains the foil's surface quality, and it must be then stretched onto a frame that produces the desired mirror flatness. These steps are illustrated and some of the parameters specifying the quality of the resulting foils are identified.