A comparison of customized Hartmann and newly introduced inverted Hartmann masks for single-shot phase-contrast X-ray imaging

In this contribution, we compare the performance of Hartmann masks and inverted Hartmann masks of different periods for phase-sensitive X-ray imaging. The Hartmann masks were gold meshes and the inverted Hartmann masks were arrays of gold pillars, both manufactured by UV lithography and gold electroforming on low-absorbing graphite substrates. We asses masks performance by comparing the visibility and homogeneity of the periodic patterns. Manufactured customized masks exhibit clear periodic patterns and demonstrate visibility values from 30 % to 50 % depending on the setup configuration. Finally, we show the phase contrast imaging with an angular resolution of 1.5 μm and demonstrate that images obtained with an inverted Hartmann mask have superior quality.