Development of a high-precision XYZ translator and estimation of beam profile of the vacuum ultraviolet and soft X-ray undulator beamline BL-13B at the Photon Factory

A high-precision XYZ translator was developed for the microanalysis of electronic structures and chemical compositions on material surfaces by electron spectroscopy techniques, such as photoelectron spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy, utilizing the vacuum ultraviolet and soft X-ray synchrotron radiation at an undulator beamline BL-13B at the Photon Factory. Using the high-precision translator, the profile and size of the undulator beam were estimated. They were found to strongly depend on the photon energy but were less affected by the polarization direction. To demonstrate the microscopic measurement capability of an experimental apparatus incorporating a high-precision XYZ translator, the homogeneities of an SnO film and a naturally grown anatase TiO₂ single crystal were investigated using X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopies. The upgraded system can be used for elemental analyses and electronic structure studies at a spatial resolution in the order of the beam size.