Protective radiolucent aluminium oxide coatings for beryllium X-ray optics

Beryllium, being one of the most transparent materials to X-ray radiation, has become the material of choice for X-ray optics instrumentation at synchrotron radiation sources and free-electron laser facilities. However, there are concerns due to its high toxicity and, consequently, there is a need for special safety regulations. The authors propose to apply protective coatings in order to seal off beryllium from the ambient atmosphere, thus preventing degradation processes providing additional protection for users and prolonging the service time of the optical elements. This paper presents durability test results for Be windows coated with atomic-layer-deposition alumina layers run at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Expositions were performed under monochromatic, pink and white beams, establishing conditions that the samples could tolerate without radiation damage. X-ray treatment was implemented in various environments, i.e. vacuum, helium, nitro­gen, argon and dry air at different pressures. Post-process analysis revealed their efficiency for monochromatic and pink beams.