A new type of objective lens has recently been proposed for use in x-ray photoemission electron microscopes (XPEEMs) and momentum microscopes. Adding a ring electrode concentric with the extractor allows the field in the gap between the sample and the extractor to be shaped. Forming a lens field in this gap reduces the field strength at the sample by up to an order of magnitude. This mitigates the risk of field emission, particularly for cleaved samples with sharp edges. A retarding field can redirect all slow electrons, thus eliminating the primary contribution to the space-charge interaction. Here, we present the first experimental investigation of the new lens, examining its performance at photon energies ranging from the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) produced by a high-harmonic generation-based source to soft and hard x rays at two synchrotron facilities. The gap lens in a region without electrodes enables large working distances up to 23 mm. Reduced aberrations allow for larger fields of view in both k-space and real-space imaging, with resolutions comparable to those of conventional cathode lenses. However, field strengths are an order of magnitude smaller. The zero-field mode enables the study of 3D structured objects and is, therefore, beneficial for small cleaved samples as well as for operando devices involving top electrodes. The repeller mode reduces space-charge effects but results in a smaller k-field diameter. This reduction ranges from 10% at hard x-ray energies to 50% in the XUV range. The usable energy interval is also reduced by a factor of two. In time-of-flight XPEEM mode, the raw data show a resolution of 250 nm, which can be improved to better than 100 nm through data processing.
Tkach et al. (2026) studied this question.