PHASE-RETARDATION AND FULL-POLARIZATION ANALYSIS OF SOFT-X-RAY SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION CLOSE TO THE CARBON-K EDGE BY USE OF A MULTILAYER TRANSMISSION FILTER

We have produced a multilayer transmission filter with 100 periods of Cr/C to achieve a significant phase retardation while maintaining good transmission for photon energies just below the carbon K edge. This device was installed into a polarimeter behind the SX700/3 monochromator at the Berlin synchrotron radiation laboratory, BESSY. The phase-retardation properties were observed as theoretically predicted. Agreement between experiment and calculation could be obtained by introduction of a rather small interface roughness in the simulation code (sigma = 0.65 nm rms). An observed phase retardation of 5-degrees was sufficient to permit, for the first time we believe, a complete and unambiguous polarization analysis of soft-x-ray synchrotron radiation (265-eV photon energy) with primary standards.