The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a structured grating, a corresponding structured grating component (1) and an imaging system. The method comprising the steps of: providing (110, 120, 130) a catalyst (30) on a substrate (20), the catalyst (20) having a grating pattern; growing (140) nanostructures (50) on the catalyst (30) so as to form walls (52) and trenches (54) based on the grating pattern; and filling (160) the trenches (54) between the walls (52) of nanostructures (50) using an X-ray absorbing material (70). The invention provides an improved method for manufacturing a structured grating and such structured grating component (1), which is particularly suitable for dark-field X-ray imaging or phase-contrast imaging.

A beam-splitting apparatus arranged to receive an input radiation beam and split the input radiation beam into a plurality of output radiation beams. The beam-splitting apparatus comprising a plurality of reflective diffraction gratings arranged to receive a radiation beam and configured to form a diffraction pattern comprising a plurality of diffraction orders, at least some of the reflective diffraction gratings being arranged to receive a 0.sup.th diffraction order formed at another of the reflective diffraction gratings. The reflective diffraction gratings are arranged such that the optical path of each output radiation beam includes no more than one instance of a diffraction order which is not a 0.sup.th diffraction order.

A metal grid includes: a valve metal plate which includes a curved principal surface; an anodic oxide film which is formed on the principal surface of the valve metal plate; and a lattice structure which has an uneven shape periodically formed on the anodic oxide film. Further, a production method for a metal grid includes: a step of bending a principal surface of a valve metal plate including the principal surface; a step of forming an anodic oxide film on the principal surface of the valve metal plate; and a step of forming a lattice structure with a periodic uneven shape on the anodic oxide film by forming an etching mask with a periodic opening on a surface of the anodic oxide film and etching the anodic oxide film through the opening.

In a method for producing a microstructure component, which is used in particular as an x-ray phase contrast grating in an x-ray device, a material absorbing x-rays is poured into a mold able at least to be deformed about one bending axis, which is formed by a silicon substrate and which has a plurality of cutouts running in a direction of the thickness of the silicon substrate with dimensions in the micrometer range. The mold into which the material is poured is heated up to a working temperature value lying above the room temperature and below a melting temperature value of the material which is poured into it and is formed into a final contour as per specifications.

A metal grid includes: a valve metal plate which includes a curved principal surface; an anodic oxide film which is formed on the principal surface of the valve metal plate; and a lattice structure which has an uneven shape periodically formed on the anodic oxide film. Further, a production method for a metal grid includes: a step of bending a principal surface of a valve metal plate including the principal surface; a step of forming an anodic oxide film on the principal surface of the valve metal plate; and a step of forming a lattice structure with a periodic uneven shape on the anodic oxide film by forming an etching mask with a periodic opening on a surface of the anodic oxide film and etching the anodic oxide film through the opening.

Provided are an optical element, including a plurality of optically anisotropic layers, each of which has an in-plane alignment pattern in which orientations of optical axes derived from a liquid crystal compound change continuously and rotationally along at least one in-plane direction, in a thickness direction, in which the optically anisotropic layers each have regions where lengths over which the orientations of the optical axes rotate by 180 in the one direction are different from each other, and at least one of the plurality of optically anisotropic layers is an inclined optically anisotropic layer having a region where a plurality of pairs of bright lines and dark lines in a cross-sectional image are present and the pairs of the bright lines and the dark lines are inclined at inclination angles which are different from each other with respect to a normal line of an interface of the optically anisotropic layer.

Embodiments described herein relate to flat optical devices and methods of forming flat optical devices. One embodiment includes a substrate having a first arrangement of a first plurality of pillars formed thereon. The first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars includes pillars having a height h and a lateral distance d, and a gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars. An aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20. A first encapsulation layer is disposed over the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars. The first encapsulation layer has a refractive index of about 1.0 to about 1.5. The first encapsulation layer, the substrate, and each of the pillars of the first arrangement define a first space therebetween. The first space has a refractive index of about 1.0 to about 1.5.

An optical characterization system is disclosed. The optical characterization system may comprise a synchrotron source, an optical characterization sub-system, and a sensor configured to receive a projected image from a set of imaging optics. The optical characterization sub-system may include at least the set of illumination optics, a set of imaging optics, and a diffractive optical element, a temporal modulator or an optical waveguide configured to match an etendue of a light beam output by the synchrotron source to the set of illumination optics. A method of matching the etendue of a light beam is also disclosed.

A source grating structure (G0) for interferometric X-ray imaging cable of generating a non-uniform intensity profile behind a surface (S) of the grating structure when exposed to X-ray radiation.

The X-ray imaging apparatus is provided with a plurality of gratings including an X-ray source and a first grating, a detector, a grating rotation mechanism for rotating a plurality of gratings respectively, and an image processor for generating at least a dark field image. The image processor is configured to generate a dark field image captured by arranging the grating at a plurality of angles in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis direction.