X-ray tomographic microscopy at the Swiss Light Source

At the Material Science Beamline 4S of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), the X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (XTM) facility is entering its final construction phase. A high performance detector based on a scintillating screen optically coupled to a CCD camera has been developed and tested. MTF-responses of the detector system show spatial resolution down to the micrometer level. A second detector, which will provide a quantum jump in term of spatial resolution and efficiency, has been successfully simulated and will be integrated in the current device soon. A user- friendly graphical interface gives access to the main measurements parameters needed for a complete tomographic scan in absorption as well as in phase-contrast mode. The new instrumentation shall be used for the analysis of the physical structure and chemical composition of technical materials and biological samples, e.g. enabling non- destructive testing during the development of modern composite materials, or enabling pseudo-dynamic testing of bone samples to establish structure-function relationships in simulated osteoporosis.