Image Plane Holographic Microscopy With a Table-Top Soft X-Ray Laser

We demonstrate image plane holographic microscopy in the soft X-ray (SXR) spectral region, combining the coherent output from a 46.9-nm wavelength table-top SXR laser and two Fresnel zone plates. Phase and amplitude maps of the object are simultaneously obtained from holograms created at the image plane by the superposition of a reference and object beam originating from the zero and first diffraction order of the zone plates. We have used the microscope to record holograms of nanometer-scale periodic Si elbow patterns with 30% absorption contrast at the laser wavelength. The measured phase shift of 2.3 rad accurately predicts the Si dense line step height of 100 nm. The scheme is scalable to shorter wavelengths and allows for simultaneous high spatial and temporal resolution.