Using a grating analyser for SEMSANS investigations in the very small angle range

Spin-echo modulation small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) is based on the detection of spatial beam modulation, which is induced by triangular spin echo precession regions and subsequent spin analyses. In order to detect such signal and exploit it for small angle scattering investigations neutron detection with sub-millimeter spatial resolution is required. Here an approach is reported where instead of a position sensitive detector an absorption grating is used to analyze the beam modulation stepwise. The spin-echo length scan in this case is performed by varying the sample-to-detector distance. The real space correlation functions of reference sample structures in the range 10(2) nm, i.e. giving rise to small-angle scattering in the very small-angle range, are recorded and analyzed successfully. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.