MULTILAYER STRUCTURES FOR X-RAY AND EUV OPTICS

The more complex our technology, the more complex our research instruments. In order to facilitate new scientific discoveries, we need to optimize our instruments. The XUV Optics Group of the University of Twente (UT) is contributing to that in the field of multilayer structures for X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optics. So much so that the demand exceeded what the university could deliver. That’s why Prof. Dr. Marcelo Ackermann, Andrey Yakshin, and Arseniy Baskakov founded UT spin-off REX-Optics, together with Fred Bijkerk, Igor Makhotkin, and Muharrem Bayraktar. This is their story.

Since X-rays have short wavelengths, you cannot control them with a normal lens. You need special mirrors, coated with ultra-thin layers of different materials, stacked with precision to be tuned to the wavelengths you want to reflect. Marcelo: “You need to be accurate on an atomic level if you want to control X-rays. Only a few labs in the world can make those optics, and we’ve made quite a name when it comes to that.” The success of their research program didn’t go unnoticed. “It’s the penalty of success,” Marcelo says jokingly. “If you say you can make a multilayer that has a certain reflectivity at a certain wavelength, and you show that you actually manage to do that, people will start to ask for a commercially deliverable product. There’s only so much you can do within university walls, so we had to start a spin-off to be able to deliver.”

Enabling breakthroughs

The company provides the necessary optics for research equipment to enable new scientific breakthroughs. Marcelo: “You can think of equipment like synchrotrons – large-scale particle accelerators that generate extremely bright X-ray and EUV beams – as well as spectrometers to measure the wavelengths of light sources. And of course, manufacturers of X-ray research instruments need optics to focus X-ray radiation onto samples and to analyze how that radiation interacts with matter. We can also use the optics in other short-wavelength high-energy applications. It’s very niche, but we’ll enable imaging of things that weren’t possible before, because the optics just weren’t there.”

World records

In that niche, the team has something special to offer. Andrey: “In several wavelengths, we are record holders of the best reflectivity of the mirrors in the world. We’re good at what we do, and the Dutch high-tech ecosystem offers almost the entire supply chain.” Having a good supply chain is important to a company like REX-Optics, yet it is something new that the team had to figure out. Arseniy: “We deliver hardware, so we have to set up a supply chain. That’s something you don’t have to do as a researcher. That’s why I started Novel-T’s START Program to get insights into how to commercialize our product and attract new customers. I got valuable advice on setting up the company, including operational and administrative aspects. That was really helpful, especially because we’re shipping the first commercial series in February already.”

Reliable supplier

The pace at which the spin-off moves is a lot higher compared to other deep-tech spin-offs with a hardware product. Marcelo: “We simply have a different starting point, as we already have our first customers. For me, there is no company without customers. From here on out, we want to grow to a financially healthy company.” Arseniy adds: “More importantly, we want to be a reliable supplier for our customers. We cannot allow expensive machines to fail on our components. Good quality is key.” That also goes for the team itself. Andrey: “We’re very compatible. I’m a specialist in multilayer coatings, Marcelo has a long industrial background in R&D and product development, and Arseniy is our managing director, who’s a physicist with an MBA. That’s quite the luxury.” As for their future plans? Marcelo: “We have to stay on top and keep our world records. If we can safely claim to be the best in the world, we’ll always have our uniqueness as a competitive edge.”