Among all of X-ray capillaries, those produced from metals attract special attention due to their specific advantages: less severe limitations on the value of the critical reflection angle, better control of the capillary shape, the maintenance of the straight main axis. The metallic, single bounce capillaries with gold and rhodium internal surfaces described in this paper are produced according to the original method invented at KUL. The production of the capillaries started from the formation of the internal steel mandrel of a designed shape that was later covered with another metal and finally pressed with the epoxy-resin. Then the mandrel was removed by the combination of mechanical and chemical actions. The shape of capillaries was controlled with the laser scan micrometer. The long-distance shape distortions, obeying so-called waviness correlation length were pointed out. The capillaries produced in our laboratory were characterized by the waviness amplitudes reaching 40-80 nm with correlation length about 300 μm. The symmetry of the opening and the straight shape of the main axis were investigated with the optical microscope and laser light transmitted through the capillary and registered with the CCD camera. The symmetry was found close to circular. The internal surface of the capillary was studied on the longitudinal cross-sections by means of the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The surface roughness (rms) was determined, the parameter defining the ability of the surface to reflect X-rays efficiently in the total reflection mode. The best gold surfaces produced up-to-now had the rms~2 nm, as measured on 1 μm × 1 μm areas. The results of preliminary exercises with synchrotron radiation were demonstrated.

The article describes the conditions of surface roughness measurements by optical and inductive methods and the use of instruments for profile measurement and surface topography. It refers to their analysis and analysis of the influence of changes in the measuring conditions on the surface roughness parameters in 2D and 3D methods of surface texture measurements.