Abstract

We have developed and characterized a laser-plasma x-ray source as a useful laboratory size intense source for various applications such as soft x-ray projection lithography (the desired wavelength is 7-14 nm), x-ray microscopy for biological imaging (2-4 nm), material sciences, an imaging for fine structures without any damage and so on. We have three kinds of laser systems for this purpose including a 10-Hz commercial Y AG laser which can deliver 1 J energy with 8 ns pulse duration at 1 and 0.5 pm wavelengths, a 0.1-Hz zigzag slab laser which can deliver 4 J with 35 ns duration at l-pm wavelength and a short pulse laser system having a chirped pulse amplification and a grating compression system which can deliver 50 mj with 1 ps duration at 1/6 Hz repetition rate as shown in Fig. 1. We can operate one of the systems to obtain the desired spectral region. At the target chamber, a rotating target system was installed to change the target surface. A grazing incidence and a transmission grating spectrometers were installed to measure the absolute soft x-ray spectral intensity ranging from 13 to 2 nm. A crystal spectrometer was also installed to measure the x-ray spectra shorter than the wavelength of 1 nm.

© 1994 Optical Society of America