Development of an X-ray projection microscope using synchrotron radiation

Projection microscopy using synchrotron radiation as a light source has been developed. The system consists of a Fresnel zone plate to produce a small point source, an aperture (pinhole), a specimen holder, and a back-illuminated CCD camera. With this system, we obtained the images of EM-grids and dried mammalian cells. The resolution was estimated to be around 1.3 μm from the intensity change of 10 to 90% in the image of the edge pattern of an EM-grid.