Single-order soft x-ray spectra with spectroscopic photon sieve

A single-order diffraction transmission grating named spectroscopic photon sieve (SPS) for soft x-ray region is proposed and demonstrated in this paper. The SPS consists of many circular pinholes located randomly, and can realize both free-standing diffractions and the suppression of higher-order differations. In this paper, the basic concept, numerical simulations, and calibration results of a 1000-lines/mm SPS for soft x-ray synchrotron radiation are presented. As predicted by theoretical calculations, the calibration results of a 1000-lines/mm SPS verify that the higher-order diffractions can be significantly suppressed along the symmetry axis. With the current nanofabrication technique, the SPS can potentially have a higher line density, and can be widely used in synchrotron radiation, laser-induced plasma diagnostics, and astrophysics.