X-ray Talbot–Lau interferometer (TLI)-based differential phase-contrast imaging (DPCI), owing to its potential capability of multiple contrast mechanisms and adaptability for variety of samples, has attracted wide spread attention in the last decade. However, the fabrication of the absorption grating, an indispensable element in a conventional TLI, presents a significant challenge for practical applications. Here, we report on a cascaded TLI (CTLI) configuration for DPCI, i.e. a TLI followed by an inverse TLI (ITLI), through which the small-period high-aspect-ratio (HAR) absorption gratings (analyzer gratings and source gratings in the conventional TLI and ITLI, respectively) could be omitted. Instead, the large-period absorption gratings (generally tens of microns) are allowed to be employed, which significantly relieves the grating fabrication difficulties, especially for the large-area ones. The success of our CTLI configuration is validated by the observation of moiré fringes, and the resulting phase-contrast and visibility-contrast images for DPCI. Moreover, our CTLI configuration is promising to yield magnified interference fringes capable of being detected directly by commonly used large-area detectors.

Filling materials with high x-ray linear absorption coefficients in high aspect-ratio (HAR) structures is a key process for the fabrication of absorption gratings used in x-ray differential phase-contrast imaging. Bismuth has been chosen as an effective filling material in micro-casting technology, because of its low cost both in price and facility use. However, repellence on structure surfaces against molten bismuth leads to an obstacle in terms of completely filling bismuth into the small-aperture and HAR microstructure formed by photo-assisted electrochemical etching in 5 inch silicon wafers. We propose and implement a novel method of surface modification to completely fill bismuth into these structures with periods of 3 μm and 42 μm, respectively, and as deep as 150 μm. The modified surface with a Bi₂O₃ layer covering the structure surface, including the side walls, induces an enhanced bismuth filling ratio. The superiority of the method is demonstrated by micrographs which show filled microstructures compared to the previously used method, where only a layer of 100 nm SiO₂ was covered. Furthermore, we have observed that the improved micro-casting makes the absorption gratings clean surfaces, and no post treatment is needed.

In the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging, a time-saving approach and preservation of details are crucial factors for obtaining phase-contrast images. In this manuscript, a single grating imaging system is proposed to perform the X-ray phase-contrast imaging. Instead of the time-consuming phase-stepping method, this system uses a single-shot algorithm to retrieve the distribution of samples’ attenuation and phase gradient. Unlike the single-shot Fourier transform algorithm, which truncates the high-frequency component of the image and reduces the spatial resolution, our method can retrieve the attenuation and phase information images with the same spatial resolution as the images acquired directly by the X-ray detector used. Furthermore, by using a large-size X-ray detector (29 cm × 23 cm), the imaging system can be configured as either a microscopic instrument or a normal large field-of-view imaging system. Finally, a series of experiments were performed to validate the feasibility of the proposed method.

A single-frequency (SF) fiber laser is widely applied in many fields. A superior ultra-narrow-bandwidth fiber filter, which consists of an in-series commercial common fiber Bragg grating (FBG) filters with a partial overlap in their reflection spectrum, is presented in this paper. The bandwidth of the filter with a center reflection wavelength of 1549.83 nm reaches 0.024 nm at 3 dB reflection, a remarkable reduction of approximately 300% by combination usage narrower than a single FBG used bandwidth. We also demonstrate a method to further narrowing of the filter bandwidth by increasing the usage times of filters, and the bandwidth can reach 0.0025 nm at 3 dB reflection. A long linear cavity single-frequency fiber laser with an entire cavity of 30 cm is implemented with the linewidth of 941 Hz at 3 dB, which is about 210% narrower than the previous record of SF fiber laser based on FBG filters in a linear cavity. This research may open a new door toward ultra-narrow-bandwidth filters and SF fiber lasers.

Grating-based X-ray differential phase contrast imaging (GDPCI) typically employs the phase-stepping technique to extract an object’s phase information. This method requires heavy radiation dosage and is time consuming. Another potential approach is the reverse projection (RP) method, which, however, relies on a synchrotron radiation source to obtain highly sensitive differential phase contrast(DPC) signal. Here, we present an alternative approach that enables the RP method to be used with a conventional X-ray source and substantially improves the sensitivity of the DPC signal by replacing the analyzer grating of the GDPCI with a sampling grating. This development represents a significant step towards obtaining fast and low-dosage DPC images in medical, biological, and industrial applications.

The fabrication of ordered, high aspect-ratio microstructures in silicon by use of photo-assisted electrochemical etching is an important technology, where voltage and current density are significant factors. In this paper, disordered walls appear in 5-inch n-type silicon wafers when a large current density is used. Based on the theory of space charge region, these disordered walls are caused by the contradiction between the protection from dissolution by a high applied voltage and the dissolution by a high current density. To verify this point, wall arrays were fabricated at different applied voltages and current densities. Moreover, the critical voltage was kept constant and different current densities were applied to obtain conditions for avoiding disordered walls and achieving uniform wall arrays. Finally, a wall array with a period of 5.6 μm and a depth of 55 μm was achieved at an applied voltage of 3 V and a monotonically increasing current density ranging from 22.9 to 24.5 mA/cm².