LUCIA, a microfocus soft XAS beamline

Abstract The beamline “LUCIA” (line for ultimate characterization by imaging and absorption) is a “tender” (0.8–8 keV) X-ray microprobe with capabilities for chemical speciation by micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy (μ-XAS) and for elemental mapping by X-ray micro-fluorescence (μ-XRF). It allows the possibility to study heterogeneous samples at a micrometer scale and to combine these two element-specific and non-destructive techniques. A monochromatic beam of a few micrometer in size is incident on a sample which is mounted on a scanning x–y–z stage. μ-XRF shows the location of the elements, their relative abundances, and their association with other elements. One can take advantage of the monochromatic beam which allows separating out different elements by their absorption edges. After mapping the fluorescence, spots of interest can be analysed by XAS to determine the speciation (local chemistry, quantitative determination of the local geometric structure around the absorbing atom) of the elements and how they depend on the different components. Installed at first at the SLS of the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), the LUCIA beamline will be transferred to SOLEIL by the beginning of 2008. The energy range offered by the beamline corresponds to the best performances of SLS and SOLEIL in terms of brightness. It allows XAS experiments at the K edge of elements ranging from Na to Fe, L edges from Ni to Gd, and M edges of rare earths and actinides.