Formation of an X-ray microbeam using a Schwarzschild X-ray objective

A soft X-ray microbeam was formed using a Schwarzschild X-ray objective designed to have transmittance at a wavelength of 14 nm. The widths of the X-ray beam on and off the focal plane were measured using a knife-edge method, and it was found that the size of the X-ray microbeam was 70 nm on the focal plane. We obtained X-ray transmission images of a silicon etching pattern and demonstrated that an image at a spatial resolution of better than 100 nm was obtained using the microbeam. We also discuss practical applicability of the microbeam.