Diamond-based gratings for x-ray wavefront sensors

In response to increasing demands for higher intensity and coherence at x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facilities such as the LCLS, beamline components face growing challenges from extreme heat loads. Conventional x-ray optics, typically made from metals or silicon, can no longer meet the thermal stability necessary for wavefront sensing under these conditions. Diamond, with its superior thermal conductivity, low x-ray absorption and high melting point, has shown unparalleled radiation hardness and emerged as a promising alternative material. XRnanotech, a spin-off from the Paul Scherrer Institute, has developed high-performance diamond-based gratings for x-ray wavefront sensors using state-of-the-art nanolithography. This work presents the design, fabrication, and thermal modeling of diamond grating structures tailored for XFEL wavefront metrology to be deployed at SLAC.