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Intellectual Property Office

Ultracompact Spectrometer and Beam Profiler for In-situ Vacuum UV and Soft X-Ray Beam Characterization IB-2520

APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:

  • High-order harmonic generation light sources
  • Diagnostics on third- and fourth-generation light sources

ADVANTAGES:

  • Accurate, rapid spectrometry and beam profiling
  • Inexpensive to build
  • Minimal space requirements
  • Can be implemented in new or existing systems
  • Enables faster, less expensive light source building, commissioning, and use

ABSTRACT:

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have invented an inexpensive device that allows for more accurate characterization of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and soft x-ray light sources. The compact device can be moved into position quickly and easily without affecting beam alignment. The Berkeley Lab device places the necessary instruments into a compact space (approximately 20 cm x 20 cm x 10 cm) in the vacuum adjacent to the beam where the instruments can be moved in and out of the beamline in a controlled manner. This enables switching between the modes in minutes rather than hours.

Berkeley Lab scientists built a prototype of this device onto an existing light source. The device has produced consistent characterizations for two years in day-to-day, maintenance-free operation. It is versatile and can be used on light sources covering a wide range of VUV and soft X-ray photon energies and vacuum conditions (10-6 to 10-9 mbar).

When building, commissioning, and performing experiments with VUV and soft x-ray light sources, the beam must be characterized frequently by spectrometry and beam profiling. Existing technology makes characterization time-consuming and potentially disruptive to the beam because the necessary measurements must be made with independent, costly devices or with components that have to be altered one-by-one to switch between the modes used for experimentation, spectrometry, and beam profiling. The Berkeley Lab invention provides a much more nimble alternative.

STATUS:

  • Available for licensing or collaborative research.
  • Published patent application WO 2009/094584  available at www.wipo.int.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE: 

  • Functional prototype in operation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Kornilov, O., Wilcox, R., Gessner, O., “Nanograting-based compact vacuum ultraviolet specrometer and beam profiler for in situ characterization of high-order harmonic generation light sources,” Review of Scientific Instruments 2010, 81, 063109.

To learn more about licensing a technology from LBNL see http://www.lbl.gov/Tech-Transfer/licensing/index.html.

REFERENCE NUMBER: IB-2520

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