Experiments performed at BOREAS usually involve magnetic materials composed of 3d metals and rare earths, magnetic or superconducting oxides, semiconductors, Silicon and Carbon based materials such as Graphene or organic molecules, ferro-electric, piezo-electric or multiferroic materials.

Samples studied are typically in bulk, thin film, multilayered, powder or nanostructured form.

Experiments at BOREAS are generally relevant at a fundamental and/or applied level for novel micro- and nano-technology devices in fields like spintronics, photonics, sensors, actuators or information storage. In views of the available instrumentation combined with the beamline large photon energy range and polarization control, studies on other materials such as polymers, 2D materials, topological insulators, novel superconductors, etc, are possible and potentially of interest.

BOREAS beamline advanced instrumentation and X-ray optical design make possible soft X-ray (magnetic) circular and linear dichroism (XMCD/XMLD) measurements and other related characterization techniques at the frontier of materials science studies and X-Ray Science.  An X-ray absorption spectra  can be acquired routinely in 2-3 min with high accuracy and repeatability (typically 100-200 eV wide with <0.05 eV step). The beamline allows the full control of X-ray polarization, enabling working modes with adjustment of a partial degree of circular polarization and arbitrary inclination of the X-ray linear polarization. You can see here a presentation with some further details on the beamline instrumentation

Technical specifications

The state-of-the art BOREAS beamline optics and elliptical undulator source offers a high flux, high energy resolution, and full polarization control on an extended soft X-ray regime of 80 to 4000 eV. The beam size at sample can be adjusted from approx. < 100x100 um to 1x1 mm thanks to its vertical and horizontal refocusing mirror system with adjustable in-situ mirror benders.

The beamline is optimized to provide the highest photon flux and energy resolution in the range between 150 eV and 2000 eV. However, the monochromator and undulator allow us to reach a lower energy level down to 80 eV in circular polarization, thus covering the Si L edges. Above 2000 eV, the optics of the beamline have a reduced performance when compared to typical hard X-ray beamlines, but the flux and energy resolution has been demonstrated to be high enough to be able to perform X-ray absorption experiments at important edges (L edges of all the 4d metals, etc).

How to download the data

Check out section 4 to access remotely to your experimental data

View more

Give us your feedback

If you have performed experiments at ALBA, ensure that all your past experimental reports and related publications are uploaded

Access the ALBA User Office Portal

Grating mirror combinations

Shown below are some plots of the typical beamline photon flux using the different gratings and mirror combinations available at the beamline, and for the various polarizations of the EPU. Flux values are estimated from intensity measurements made using an AUXV100G diode downstream at the location of the last beamline optical component.

In the measurements, the accumulated storage ring current was around 100 mA, and nominal slit settings were used, i.e. 15 micron opening for the vertical entrance (VES) and exit slits (VXS). Resolving power is about 7,500-10,000 with VES/VXS=15/15 micron slits. Higher resolving power, approx 15,000 or greater, can be attained for more extreme exit slit settings, such as 15/5 micron slit settings, whereas intensities are almost linear on the vertical exit slit opening (vertical beam FWHM at the entrance slit is estimated to be typically within 5.5-7.5 micron range). A number of combinations, including choices between Gold or Nickel or Silicon (uncoated) stripes on the first plane mirror, slits, etc...can result in slightly different numbers, but these values are representative.