Method of producing x-ray diffraction grating

Abstract

Abstract A METHOD IS HEREIN DISCLOSED FOR PRODUCING A HIGH RESOLUTION X-RAY DIFFRACTION GRATING HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE WORKING SURFACE THEREON. AN OPTICALLY WORKED GLASS SUBSTRATE IS COATED WITH AN EVEN LAYER OF PHOTORESIST MATERIAL. THE COATED SURFACE IS THEN EXPOSED TO A PATTERN OF LIGHT INTERFERENCE FRINGES AND THE PATTERN IS SCANNED ACROSS THE SURFACE IN A MANNER WHEREBY THE PHASE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INTERFERING LIGHT BEAMS REMAIN UNALTERED AT EACH POINT ON THE SURFACE. THE RATE OF SCAN IS CONTROLLED TO PRODUCE A UNIFORM TIME AVERAGE EXPOSURE OF THE FRINGES ON THE COATED SURFACE. THE EXPOSED SURFACE IS THEN DEVELOPED BY SLECTIVELY REMOVING THE PHOTORESIST MATERIAL FROM THE GLASS SUPPORT SURFACE LEAVING BEHIND A PERIODIC ARRAY OF EXTENDED PARALLED GLAS STRIPES SEPARATED BY RIDGES OF PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIAL. THE DEVELOPED SURFACE IS NEXT COATED WITH A THIN LAYER OF GLASS ADHERING METAL TO FORM AN INVERSE X-RAY GRATING. A SUBSTRATE COATED WITH AN UNFIXED EPOXY RESIN IS PLACED IN PRESSURE CONTACT AGAINST THE METALLIZED SURFACE OF THE WORK ELEMENT AND ALLOWED TO DRY OR HARDEN WHILE UNDER PRESSURE. THE SUBSTRATE IS THEN MOVED FROM THE MASTER AND FORMS AN X-RAY DIFFRACTION GRATING HAVING A SMOOTH UNBLEMISHED SURFACE THEREON INTERRUPTED BY EQUALLY SPACED GROOVES THAT ARE DETERMINED BY THE POSITIONING OF THE PHOTOSENSITIVE RIDGES ON THE SURFACE OF THE MASTER.

Inventors

• 👤 W Little

Bibliographic Details