Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has a higher strength-to-weight ratio and forming flexibility than metals, making it suitable for fabricating lightweight x-ray mirrors. However, CFRP has the disadvantages of print-through and deformation due to moisture absorption, which have prevented its use in optical mirrors. To expand the application of CFRP, we studied the formation of a moisture barrier layer on CFRP substrates. We formed a flattening layer a few micrometers thick on a CFRP substrate, following which we coated the substrate with SiO_x as a moisture barrier. The effect of moisture absorption was then evaluated using accelerated aging tests. We found that the diffusivity of the CFRP substrate at 60°C and a relative humidity of 100% was ∼2  ×  10^−  6  mm² h^−  1, which is 1/500th that of the barrier-less substrate. In the tests, the moisture absorption rate increased after ∼800  h. As we observed cracks on the flattening layer after 600 h, the rate increase could be associated with these cracks. Considering the damage to the barrier layer, we propose a modified model for the time profile, which is congruent with the observed time profile of the moisture content.

ASTRO-H is an international X-ray mission of ISAS/JAXA, which will be launched in 2014. One of the main characteristics of ASTRO-H is imaging spectroscopy in the hard X-ray band above 10 keV. ASTRO-H will carry two identical Hard X-ray telescopes (HXTs), whose mirror surfaces are coated with Pt/C depth-graded multilayers to enhance hard X-ray effective area up to 80 keV.

HXT was designed based on the telescope on board the SUMIT balloon borne experiment. After feasibility study of the HXT design, the FM design has been deteremined. Mass production of the mirror shells at Nagoya University has been going on since August 2010, and production of mirror shells for HXT-1 was completed in March 2012. After the integation of X-ray mirrors for HXT-1, we measured hard X-ray performance of selected mirror shells for HXT-1 at a synchrotron radiation facility, SPring-8 beamline BL20B2. We will perform environment tests and ground calibarations at SPring-8 for HXT-1. In HXT-2, foil production is going on.