| Conventional tomography in soft X-ray microscopes has delivered 100--200 nm 3D images of biological specimens. As the transverse resolution---roughly given by the width of the outermost zone of the zone plate---is further improved, the depth of focus decreases as the square of the outermost zone width presenting a challenge to improved resolution in this approach. One solution to this dilemma is not to record images, but to record holograms of the specimen. In this thesis, we show that this can be done by magnifying the far-field hologram with a zone plate onto a CCD camera. This allows for fast data acquisition, making 3D imaging feasible. We describe the development of a new experimental apparatus to record the holograms, together with experimental results obtained at the National Synchrotron Light Source. In addition, lensless diffraction imaging has the potential to overcome the resolution limitations imposed by zone plates. We describe lensless diffraction imaging experiments done at the Advanced Light Source together with obtained 2D and 3D reconstructions. Finally, it has been shown that radiation damage sets a fundamental limit to studies with ionizing radiation; cryo methods are known to ease these limits. We report measurements on mass loss and decrease in C=O bond strength as measured by oxygen edge XANES (NEXAFS) spectroscopy in thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, studied in a vacuum at room temperature and at liquid nitrogen temperature. |
