Simulation study of polycapillary X-ray optics

Polycapillary x-ray optics, arrays of hollow capillary tubes used to guide x-rays by total reflectance, are now being used in increasing numbers of applications, such as materials analysis, microelectronics manufacturing, x-ray astronomy and medical imaging. Because each optic contains hundreds of thousands of precisely shaped and located hollow channels, it is desirable to assess the feasibility of a variety of capillary geometries for a new application without physically constructing the optic. This assessment requires increasingly sophisticated modeling capability as new applications with more stringent requirements are developed. Previous analysis has shown that high-energy applications such as hard x-ray astronomy and medical imaging are particularly sensitive to optic profile errors such as channel waviness. A more physical model for surface waviness has been developed and included in optics simulations. The results are compared to measured data and to the results of other numerical simulation programs.