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Institute for Electronic Structure Dynamics

MetrokX

Application laboratory for metrology with coherent X-rays

The MetrokX project started on July 1st, 2024.

The importance of light in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) to soft X-ray (SXR) spectral range is increasing rapidly within high-tech industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, biomedical imaging, and optical analytics. These industries have a global annual market value of more than €20 billion and a projected annual growth rate of 5–12%. They are also of great importance to the Berlin economic region, with this relevance being reflected in the joint Berlin-Brandenburg innovation strategy, InnoBB 2025, which dedicates one of its four clusters to the field of optics and photonics.

The provision of coherent EUV/SXR light sources with the highest brilliance is therefore a key component for strengthening the Berlin-based companies that are active in these industries. For the development and implementation of these light sources, novel optics, detectors, and diagnostic devices must also be developed to maintain coherence during the transport of the radiation and enable intensity, wavefront, and coherence measurements with spectral and spatial resolution.

The aim of this project is to establish a world-leading application laboratory for metrology with coherent X-rays (MetrokX) at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB). This laboratory will enable the development and optimization of laser-based coherent EUV/SXR sources, optics, and diagnostic equipment. This laboratory builds on existing HZB facilities and expertise and will be developed in six work packages over a period of 30 months by nine HZB scientists with extensive experience in the development and application of coherent light sources and diagnostic devices, and one ERDF-funded, project-related postdoc. 

The main target groups for this project and application laboratory are manufacturers of reflective and diffractive optics, optomechanical components, and companies and research institutions that develop complete EUV/SXR systems. With the establishment of the proposed unique and externally accessible coherent EUV/SXR source and diagnostics suite, MetrokX will support the innovations of companies working within the optics and photonics cluster of InnoBB 2025, thereby strengthening Berlin's position as a leading center for optics and photonics.