Scanning Soft X-ray Microscopy: Applications, Developments and Perspectives
Dr. Markus Weigand (Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme)

Scanning X-ray Microscopy (STXM) has been established as a powerful tool for material and environmental science. Especially when operating in the soft X-ray range it can combine the ability to image at resolution down to below 20 nm with the use of spectroscopic methods like NEXAFS and XMCD as contrast mechanism. This not only allows element and chemically sensitive microscopy, but also direct imaging of magnetization in magnetic samples with high sensitivity at the L2,3-edges of the 3d transition elements and the M5,4 –edges of Rare Earths, the most important elements in magnetic materials .
As a scanning technique, STXM is also able to utilize a wide range of novel techniques based on special detection methods, all of which benefit from the spectroscopic qualities of the used X-rays:
Sample current detection allows concurrent surface (<5nm) and bulk sensitive measurements on sample system. Fast single photon detectors make time resolved imaging with <100 ps time resolution not only possible, but also efficient and flexible. And most recently, CCD detectors capturing diffraction data enable the emerging technique of ptychography, which increase spatial resolution well below the size of the used X-ray spots and is expected to approach wave length limit of a few nm.
A major part of this talk will be research highlights of users of the MAXYMUS ( A STXM operated by the MPI for Intelligent System at BESSY II, Berlin), including chemical analysis of atmospheric particles [1], imaging the charge state of lithium ion batteries on the nanoscale[2], observation of domain wall movement in magnetic wires[3] and direct imaging of spin-waves in the GHz range.
[1] C. Pöhlker et al, Science 337, 1075
[2] N. Ohmer et al, Nature Commun (5) 6045
[3] A. Bisig et al, Nat. Commun (4) 2328