Preliminary synchrotron radiation characterization of first multilayer mirrors for the soft X-ray water window

The development of high-reflectivity devices for soft X-rays at quasi-normal incidence is a challenging research for the development of synchrotron radiation optics, particularly for soft X-ray microscopy and X-ray microprobe spectroscopy. Here we present data concerning the deposition of the first Ni/Ti and Ni/TiO2 multilayers grown at the INFN Legnaro Laboratories (LNL). These multilayers have a lattice spacing in the order of 14 Å and more than 100 of bilayers. Experimental tests on these multilayers have been performed by a vacuum compatible θ–2θ reflectometer, set up at the INFN Frascati Laboratories (LNF), where their characterization has been accomplished by means of synchrotron radiation. rst multilayer mirrors tailored in order to work at quasi-normal geometry have been measured in the lower X-ray energy domain using both white-beam and monochromatic radiation at about 1 keV.