PROPOSAL NUMBER 99-1 15.01-4137 (Chron: 992067 )
PROJECT TITLE
Vapor-Deposited Polyimide for Freestanding Multilayer X-ray Filters
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Freestanding metallized polyimide films have become a standard for soft x-ray filters. The strength and thermal stability of polyimide has been used to advantage in producing increasingly larger and thinner filters. To continue this trend and to improve the durability and throughput of filters for current instruments, it is proposed to develop a new generation of freestanding thin film filter designs by incorporating multilayer techniques. Multilayer films consist of hundreds or thousands of alternating layers, and can be considerably stronger than the component materials. To use this technique for building optical filter foils, the polyimide fabrication process must be changed from a solution-cast method to vapor deposition. Vapor depositing polyimide could have several advantages in x-ray filter fabrication. It would permit the ultrathin layering required for multilayer film construction and would reduce film contamination resulting from vacuum cycling. The use of vapor deposition to produce freestanding polyimide/metal multilayer films may result in even stronger and thinner soft x-ray filters, which would allow larger and higher-performance instruments to be realized.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The ability to produce larger, thinner, and better quality soft x-ray filters will result in more design flexibility for scientists and could lead to significant improvements in instrument resolution and sensitivity. These benefits extend to filters for other spectral regions such as the infrared. Stronger thin foils will find use in pressure or vacuum/gas separation applications such as proportional counter windows. Besides its utility in producing multilayer films, vapor-deposited polyimide could be uniformly applied over non-planar and irregularly shaped objects. This ability is not available using the current spin-coating process. Conformal polyimide coatings could lend resilient, temperature-stable features to filter support meshes, instrument shielding and complex optics.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address,
City/State/Zip)
Glenn Lefever-Button
Luxel Corporation
P.O. Box 1879
Friday Harbor , WA 98250 - 1879
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Luxel Corporation
P.O. Box 1879
Friday Harbor , WA 98250 - 1879