Development of a specimen holder combined with ultra thin film laser plasma X-ray source for compact contact-type soft X-ray microscope to observe hydrated living biologocal cells

Ishino, Masahiko; Kado, Masataka; Shinohara, Kunio*; Yamamoto, Yoshimasa*; Hirai, Itaru*; Kishimoto, Maki; Nishikino, Masaharu; Hasegawa, Noboru; Tamotsu, Satoshi*; Yasuda, Keiko*; Kawachi, Tetsuya

Ultra thin gold films are favorable laser plasma targets for a soft X-ray microscopy, because the thin films emit intense soft X-rays at the wavelength of water window region. Using rear side emissions, the distance between the X-ray source and the specimens can be reduced so that the X-ray flux on specimens increases. The microscope system can be designed to be compact when the specimen holder and X-ray source are combined in one piece. The biological specimen holder combined with an ultra thin film target has been developed. This X-ray microscope system needs not any X-ray optics which causes a decrease in X-ray photons for imaging. X-ray images of hydrated living cells have been obtained successfully by use of the newly developed specimen holder. Specimen holder combined with plasma X-ray source will be a key component of a compact soft X-ray microscope using in a laboratory.