Radiation furnace for synchrotron dark-field x-ray microscopy experiments

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments 2020-06, Vol.91 (6), p.065109-065109
• Main Authors: Yildirim, C., Vitoux, H., Dresselhaus-Marais, L. E., Steinmann, R., Watier, Y., Cook, P. K., Kutsal, M., Detlefs, C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Capillary tubes; Cooling rate; Experiments; Heating; Mapping; Microscopy; Scientific apparatus & instruments; Single crystals; Synchrotron radiation; Synchrotrons; Temperature profiles; Thermal expansion; Thermal stability; Thermocouples; X ray microscopy; X ray topography
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/1.5141139

We present a multi-purpose radiation furnace designed for x-ray experiments at synchrotrons. The furnace is optimized specifically for dark-field x-ray microscopy (DFXM) of crystalline materials at beamline ID06 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. The furnace can reach temperatures above 1200 °C with a thermal stability better than 10 °C, with heating and cooling rates up to 30 K/s. The non-contact heating design enables samples to be heated either in air or in a controlled atmosphere contained within a capillary tube. The temperature was calibrated via the thermal expansion of an α-iron grain. Temperature profiles in the y and z axes were measured by scanning a thermocouple through the focal spot of the radiation furnace. In the current configuration of the beamline, this furnace can be used for DFXM, near-field x-ray topography, bright-field x-ray nanotomography, high-resolution reciprocal space mapping, and limited powder diffraction experiments. As a first application, we present a DFXM case study on isothermal heating of a commercially pure single crystal of aluminum.