A pEek on the lab

The laboratory is a part of the production line of Optigraph GmbH and is dedicated to control the parameters of graphite crystals and graphite optics. Especially for the project, it is additionally equipped with a spectrometer configurated for non-contact control of the thickness of thin HOPG films.

The laboratory is part of the graphite optics (GrO) production line of Optigraph GmbH and allows to control parameters of graphite films, graphite crystals and complex GrO, in particular the mosaic spread (ms), spectral resolution, crystal lattice spacing. The laboratory includes two instruments: a Bragg-Brentano diffractometer and a von Hamos spectrometer. Both set-up characterize crystal and optics by CuKα1 at the first diffraction maximum.

Especially for the project, a new X-ray spectrometer aimed for non-contact measurement of the thickness of thin graphite films was ordered

A small workshop is aimed for the production of thin graphite films and GrO. The room is equipped with a set of mechanical tools used for splitting and depositing thin films, as well as for cutting graphite crystals.

Bruker Nano GmbH's M1 MISTRAL Rh Mikro-RFA instrument with a rhodium X-ray tube and a programmable XYZ-stage was configured by the manufacturer to measure the thickness of free graphite films. A special method was developed using different substrates such as silicon, aluminum, and glass as secondary targets oriented to the rhodium L-level radiation to measure thin graphite films up to one micrometer and thicker under air conditions. The instrument also allows large-area mapping of samples with high lateral resolution.