There is a large performance gap between conventional, electron-impact X-ray sources and synchrotron radiation sources. An Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) source can bridge this gap by providing a narrow-band, high-flux and tunable Xray source that fits into a laboratory. It works by colliding a high-power laser beam with a relativistic electron beam, in which case the energy of the backscattered photons is in the X-ray (or gamma-ray) regime. Here we present a new conceptual design for an ICS source that is more than two orders of magnitude brighter than the Lyncean Compact Light Source (CLS) currently in user operation. Depending on configuration, this next generation CLS covers an X-ray energy range of about 30-90 keV, or 60-180 keV. It will provide X-ray flux of up to 4 x 1012 photons/s within a beam divergence of 4 mrad and a bandwidth of around 10%. This is well-suited for micro-CT imaging of millimeter-sized samples at micron resolution, with a flux density similar to some high-energy synchrotron beamlines. The beam properties of the new design are also compatible with narrower bandwidth, focused beam applications such as high-energy diffraction. We discuss the novel concepts applied to the design of this X-ray source as well as the resulting beam properties. We present application examples in the areas of imaging, diffraction, and radiotherapy where this system can approach or match the performance of synchrotron beamlines. This will allow transferring many research, industrial and medical applications from the synchrotron, where capacity and access are limited, to a local lab or clinic.
There is a large performance gap between conventional, electron-impact X-ray sources and synchrotron radiation sources. Electron-impact X-ray sources are compact, low to moderate cost, widely available and can have high total flux, but have limited tunability (broad spectrum bremsstrahlung plus fixed characteristic lines) and low brightness. By contrast, synchrotron radiation sources provide extremely high brightness (coherent flux), are tunable and can be monochromatized to a very high degree. However, they are very large and expensive, and typically operated as national user facilities with limited access. An Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) X-ray source can bridge this gap by providing a narrow-band, high flux and tunable X-ray source that fits into a laboratory at a cost of a few percent of a large synchrotron facility. It works by colliding a high-power laser beam with a relativistic electron beam, in which case the backscattered photons have an energy in the X-ray regime. This paper will describe the working principle of the Lyncean Compact Light Source, a storage-ring based ICS source, its unique beam properties and recent developments that are expected to increase flux and brightness by an order of magnitude compared to earlier versions. Furthermore, it will illustrate how such an X-ray source can be the cornerstone of a local X-ray facility serving applications from diffraction and imaging to scattering and spectroscopy. An overview of demonstrated and potential applications will be provided.
EUV has long been hailed as the next generation lithography technology. Its adoption into high volume manufacturing (HVM), however, has been delayed several technology nodes due to technical issues, many of which can be attributed to the EUV source performance. Today’s EUV lithography scanners are powered by laser produce plasma (LPP) sources. They have issues with power scaling beyond 300 W, reliability and contamination. Free Electron Lasers (FELs) have been considered as an alternative EUV source. Advantages of accelerator based sources are the maturity of the accelerator technology, lack of debris/contamination, and ability to provide high power. Industry turned away from this technology because of the requirement to feed up to 10 scanners from one linear FEL to make it economically feasible, the large footprint, and generation of radioactive byproducts. All of these issues are overcome in the presented concept using a compact storage ring with steady-state FEL lasing action. At 1 kW output power, comparable cost and footprint to an LPP source, this source is ideally suited for use on a single scanner and promises reliable, contamination free operation. FEL action in the storage ring is sustained by operating the FEL well below the saturation regime and preserving the equilibrium low emittance and energy distribution of the ring.
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