Beam conditioning multilayer optics for laboratory x-ray sources

Practically, all modern x-ray diffractometers, SAXS, TXRF systems and many other laboratory X-ray instruments are equipped with multilayer X-ray optics. It is due to a much higher flux these instruments have comparing with those having no optics or having a grazing incidence optics without multilayer coatings. There are variety of the multilayer optics designs – from one bounce collimating parabolic mirror to four corners double bounce focusing mirrors. Design of multilayer optics depends on application, X-ray source parameters, requirements on divergence, focal spot, available room for the optics, manufacturing capability and cost. Key characteristics of the optics, requirements on multilayers d-spacing accuracy, optics slope errors, and substrates surface roughness are discussed in the paper. Different optics designs are considered including recently developed optics for a laboratory topography system and a Hybrid optics combining multilayer and crystal optics for XRR and XRD.