STXM goes 3D: Digital reconstruction of focal stacks as novel approach towards confocal soft x-ray microscopy

• High-performance zone plates were applied to generate focal stacks in STXM.
• An efficient reconstruction algorithm was developed to derive 3D reconstructions.
• Successful tests of the new algorithm on transparent samples.
• Algorithm circumvents potential problems in soft x-ray confocal microscopy.

Fresnel zone plate based soft x-ray transmission microspectroscopy has developed into a routine technique for high-resolution elemental or chemical 2D imaging of thin film specimens. The availability of high resolution Fresnel lenses with short depth of focus offers the possibility of optical slicing (in the third dimension) by focus series with resolutions in the submicron regime. We introduce a 3D reconstruction algorithm that uses a variance-based metric to assign a focus measure as basis for volume rendering. The algorithm is applied to simulated geometries and opaque soft matter specimens thus enabling 3D visualization. These studies with z-resolution of few 100 nm serve as important step towards the vision of a confocal transmission x-ray microscope.