  We discuss recent advances towards matter-wave interference experiments with
free beams of metallic and dielectric nanoparticles. They require a brilliant
source, an efficient detection scheme and a coherent method to divide the de
Broglie waves associated with these clusters: We describe an approach based on
a magnetron sputtering source which ejects an intense cluster beam with a wide
mass dispersion but a small velocity spread of 10%. The source is universal as
it can be used with all conducting and many semiconducting or even insulating
materials. Here we focus on metals and dielectrics with a low work function of
the bulk and thus a low cluster ionization energy. This allows us to realize
photoionization gratings as coherent matter-wave beam splitters and also to
realize an efficient ionization detection scheme. These new methods are now
combined in an upgraded Talbot-Lau interferometer with three 266 nm depletion
gratings. We here describe the experimental boundary conditions and how to
realize them in the lab. This next generation of near-field interferometers
shall allow us to soon push the limits of matter-wave interference to masses up
to 10 megadaltons.
