High-acceptance versatile microfocus module based on elliptical Fresnel zone plates for small-angle X-ray scattering.

High-efficiency microfocusing of multi-keV X-rays at synchrotron sources is highly profitable for spatially resolved structural analysis of many kinds. Because radiation from synchrotron sources is typically elongated along the horizontal dimension, generating a microbeam that is isotropic in size requires a carefully designed optics system. Here we report on using a combination of a horizontally tunable slit downstream of the undulator source with elliptical diffractive Fresnel zone plates. We demonstrate the arrangement in context of small-angle X-ray scattering experiments, obtaining a microbeam of 2.2 μm × 1.8 μm (X × Y) with a flux of 1.2 × 10 photons/s at an energy of 11.2 keV at the sample position.