Four-framed X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for time-resolved laser plasma diagnostics

X-ray imaging crystal spectrometers with high spectral and spatial resolutions are the important diagnostic tools for acquiring high-quality plasma information in the study of laser–matter interactions. In this paper we propose a new multi-channel imaging crystal spectrometer with coupling X-ray framing camera to record the dynamic evolution of a laser-induced plasma: a four-channel imaging mica crystal spectrometer with a spatial resolution of 40–60 μm for diagnosing the aluminum (Al) plasma targets was developed. Calibration experiments revealed that the spectral resolution is higher than 1700 at Al Kα3 characteristic lines (1496.4eV). Further, we established an aiming method based on the positioning ball and two monitoring CCDs. The optical design, mechanical design, and experimental measurements of the four-channel imaging mica crystal spectrometer are discussed.