Several third generation synchrotron radiation facilities are now operational, and the high brightness of these photon sources offers new opportunities for X-ray microscopy. Well developed synchrotron radiation spectroscopy techniques are being applied in new instruments capable of imaging the surface of a material with a spatial resolution smaller than 1 mm.There are two aspects to this. One is to further the field of surface science by exploring the effects of spatial variations across a surface on a scale not previously accessible to X-ray measurements. The other is to open up new analytical techniques in materials science using X-rays on a spatial scale comparable with that of the processes or devices to be studied. The development of the spectromicroscopy program at the Advanced Light Source will employ a variety of instruments, some of which are already operational. Their development and use will be discussed, and recent results will be presented to illustrate their capabilities.
Keywords: Soft X-ray spectromicroscopy; Synchrotron radiation
ã 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.