Engineering
CXRO’s engineering team builds the tools that make nanoscience possible. Working closely with scientists, the team provides mechanical, electrical, vacuum, and controls engineering for the design, construction, and operation of advanced EUV and X-ray instrumentation. From shield wall to endstation, from project planning to commissioning, the engineering group creates high-performance experimental systems for every project it executes.
Engineering Disciplines
Mechanical Design
Precision mechanical design for UHV-compatible instruments, including nano-positioning stages, sample manipulation systems, and custom vacuum chambers. Designs are developed in 3D CAD with FEA analysis for thermal and structural performance.
Vacuum Systems
Design and assembly of ultra-high vacuum systems required for EUV optics and synchrotron endstations, including differential pumping, load locks, and contamination-controlled environments.
Electrical & Controls
Custom electronics, motor control systems, detector interfaces, and EPICS-based instrument control software for beamline and laboratory instruments. Specialized devices include in-vacuum capacitive displacement sensors, precision current meters, beam exit slits, and attenuators.
Beamline Development
End-to-end beamline design from source to endstation, including optical layout, ray tracing, thermal management, and safety systems. CXRO has designed and built multiple beamlines at the ALS.
In-House Capabilities
Key Instruments Built
- •MET — 0.3-NA EUV micro-exposure tool (details)
- •SHARP — Actinic EUV photomask microscope (details)
- •ALS beamlines — Multiple undulator and bend-magnet beamlines for EUV, soft X-ray, and reflectometry
- •Deposition systems — Magnetron and ion-beam sputtering chambers for the Optical Coatings facility
