Synchrotron topographic evaluation of strain around craters generated by irradiation with X-ray pulses from free electron laser with different intensities

Abstract The silicon sample irradiated with femtosecond soft X-ray pulses at the Linac Coherent Light Source has been studied with several synchrotron X-ray diffraction topographic methods at HASYLAB. The irradiations were performed for two different wavelengths combined with various impact energy controlled by means of the gas attenuator. The topographic investigation revealed characteristic images of the created craters included the inner region reflecting the X-rays at lower angle, coming most probably from part of the silicon melted during the irradiation. The melted region was surrounded by strained outer region, similar to those observed in the case of rod-like inclusion but less regular in view of some irregularity of the beam used for generation of the craters. It was observed that the higher impact energy higher dose of the irradiating pulses resulted in increasing diameter of the melted area of the crater and the range of the strained region around it. Some features of the monochromatic and white beam back reflection section images of the craters were reproduced in numerically simulated images approximating the strain field in the crater by a droplet containing uniformly distributed point inclusions.