Performance of Silicon Carbide Mirrors for Advanced Light Source Devices

doi:10.15541/jim20250354

Abstract

Abstract: The rapid development of advanced light source technologies, such as synchrotron radiation and X-ray free electron lasers, especially for high-energy and high-brightness X-ray facilities, has become one of the key factors restricting the further improvement of beamline performance. When high-energy beams are irradiated onto the surface of mirrors, the absorption of such energy can cause radiation damage and thermal deformation of the mirrors. This study provides an in-depth exploration of various aspects, including the structural design of mirrors, material selection, performance simulation, prototype fabrication, optical processing, and performance testing. By combining solid-state sintering with precision optical processing technology, a silicon carbide (SiC) planar mirror with high optical property was developed. The influence of different materials on the thermal deformation of the reflective mirror surface, as well as the impact of surface shape accuracy and roughness control on the optical surface quality of the reflective mirror was discussed. The research shows that under an absorbed power of 200 W, the modified SiC mirror exhibits approximately 22% reduction in normal deformation along the meridional direction compared to conventional single-crystal silicon mirrors. After optical processing, the PV value of its mirror surface reached 24.3 nm, the RMS value reached 1.7 nm, the surface roughness RMS reached 0.168 nm, and the gas release rate was 2.40×10^-7 Pa∙L/(s∙cm²). These results meet the requirements for ultra-smooth mirrors in advanced light source facilities, demonstrating the potential of high-performance silicon carbide ceramics as an ideal choice for mirrors for the next-generation applications, instead of single-crystal silicon.

Key words: synchrotron radiation, X-ray free electron laser, silicon carbide mirrors, surface shape accuracy, roughness

CLC Number:

TH743

LIU Leimin, LUO Hongxin, HE Yumei, JIN Limin, LI Yongjie, LIU Jingwen, WEI Yuquan, SUN Jiale, CHEN Zhongming, LIU Xuejian, YIN Jie, HUANG Zhengren. Performance of Silicon Carbide Mirrors for Advanced Light Source Devices[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, DOI: 10.15541/jim20250354.

References

[1] CLAUDIO P, AGOSTINO M, SVEN R.The physics of X-ray free electron lasers. Reviews of Modern Physics, 2016, 88: 015006.
[2] T SCHENTSCHER,et al. Photon beam transport and scientific instruments at the European XFEL. Applied Sciences, 2017, 7: 592.
[3] DANIELE C, MOURAD I, DANIEL M,et al. Advances in X-ray optics: From metrology characterization to wavefront sensing-based optimization of active optics. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2018, 907: 105.
[4] Liu Y, Zhang H, Liu L M,et al. Preparation and environmental simulation tests of large-size silicon carbide brazed reflection mirrors. Opto-Electronic Engineering, 2020, 47(8): 200088.
[5] DONALD H.B, ANDREAS K.F, GORDON S.K,et al. The historical development of cryogenically cooled monochromators for third-generation synchrotron radiation sources. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 2000, 7: 53.
[6] KELLY M M, WEST J B.Fabrication and use of silicon carbide mirrors for synchrotron radiation.Reflecting Optics for Synchrotron Radiation. SPIE, 1982, 315: 135.
[7] GARDNER J D.The James webb space telescope: extending the science.Proceedings of SPIE, 2012, 8842: 884228.
[8] GREENHOUSE M A.The JWST Science Instrument payload: mission context and status. Proceedings of SPIE, 2016, 9143: 914307.
[9] TAKACZ P Z, HURSMAN T L, WILLIAMS J T.Application of silicon carbide to synchrotron radiation mirrors. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, 1984, 222(1-2): 133.
[10] PILBRATT G L.Herschel space observatory mission overview.Proceedings of SPIE, 2003, 4850: 586.
[11] DENY P, BOUGOIN M.Silicon carbide components for optics: present and near future capabilities.Proceedings of SPIE, 2005, 5868: 58680G.
[12] LIU Y, MA Z. CHEN J,et al. Environmental simulation evaluation of SSiC brazed optical mirrors. Proceedings of SPIE, 2014, 9280: 928009.
[13] DONG B C, ZHANG G.Fabrication and properties of ultra-lightweight SiC mirror.Optics and Precision Engineering. 2018, 23(8): 2185.
[14] ZHANG G, ZHAO R C, ZHAO W X, et al. Manufacture of Φ1.2m reaction bonded silicon carbide mirror blank CFID. Proceedings of SPIE, 2010, 7654: 76541B.
[15] 刘海林, 霍艳丽, 胡传奇, 等. 光刻机用精密碳化硅陶瓷部件制备技术. 现代技术陶瓷, 2016, 37(3): 168.
[16] 袁振侠, 陆有军, 吴澜尔, 等. 硅粉与碳黑微波合成碳化硅微粉. 现代技术陶瓷, 2016, 37(3): 190.
[17] YAO X M, LIANG H Q, LIU X J,et al. Effect of carbon source and adding ratio on the microstructure and properties of solid-state sintering silicon carbide. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2013, 28(9):1009.
[18] YANG X, LIU X J, HUANG Z R,et al. Surface cracks of solid-phase-sintered silicon carbide ceramics and their influences on material strength. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2014, 29(4): 438.
[19] GAO J Q, CHEN J, LIU G L, et al. Role of microstructure on surface and subsurface damage of sintered silicon carbide during grinding and polishing. Wear, 2010, 270:88.
[20] YANG Y, ZHANG J W, FU C L,et al. Deposition of thick Si coating with low residual stress on SiC ceramics by fabricating multilayer with compressive/tensile stress layer-pairs. Materials and Design, 2016, 107:1.
[21] FU C L, YANG Y, MA Y F,et al. Effect of ion source bias on the properties of H_fO₂ laser films prepared by the PIA-EB-Hf method. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2017, 1:69.
[22] LI T, JIN L M, ZHU W Q,et al. A reliable FEA-based calculation approach of convective heat transfer coefficient for steady-state thermal analysis of X-ray water-cooled mirrors. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2022, 1040: 167288.
[23] JIN LM, ZHU W Q, WANG Y,et al. A numerical comparison between internal cooling and side cooling of the reflection mirror for Spatial and Spin (S2) beam-line at SSRF. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2018, 902: 190.
[24] JIN L M, WANG N X, ZHU W Q,et al. FEA-based structural optimization design of a side cooling collimating mirror at SSRF. Nuclear Science and Technology, 2017, 28(11): 159.
[25] 廖文林,戴一帆,周林,等. 离子束抛光加工矩形离轴非球面镜. 国防科技大学学报, 2011, 23(1): 100.
[26] D'ACAPITO F, LEPORE G O, PURI A,et al. The LISA beamline at ESRF. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation, 2019, 26(Pt 2): 551.
[27] SIEWERT F, BUCHHEIM J, ZESCHKE T,et al. On the characterization of ultra-precise X-ray optical components: advances and challenges in ex situ metrology. Synchrotron Radiation, 2014, 21(5): 968.
[28] YUMOTO H, KOYAMA T, YAMAZAKI H,et al. An X-ray beamline for utilizing intense, high-energy undulator radiation. Synchrotron Radiation, 2025, 32(5): 1201.
[29] LI M, WU J L, WU Y Q,et al. A review on the fabrication technology of X-ray reflector. Opto-Electronic Engineering, 2020, 47(8): 200205.