Extreme Ultraviolet and X-Rays Lasers: Principles and Applications

Prof. Jorge J. Rocca

NSF Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology. Colorado State University, USA.

August, 27-31. 2012

Departamento de Física. FCEyN. UBA

Jorge J. Rocca is a University Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Physics at Colorado State University , and serves as Director of the NSF Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology. He received a diploma in Physics from the University of Rosario in Argentina in 1978 conducting research at CITEFA, and a Ph.D in ECE from Colorado State University in 1983. His research group demonstrated the first gain-saturated table-top soft X-ray laser using a discharge plasma as gain medium, and later extended bright high repetition rate table-top EUV lasers to wavelengths down to 8 nm using laser-created plasmas, achieving full phase coherence. He and his collaborators have demonstrated the use of these lasers in nano-scale imaging, dense plasma diagnostics, nano-scale material studies, and photochemistry. He has published more than 200 peer review journal article on these topics. Prof. Rocca received the Arthur. L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science from the American Physical Society in 2011, and the Willis E. Lamb Award in Laser Science and Quantum Optics in 2012. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He was an IEEE LEOS Distinguished Lecturer for 2006-07, and early in his career he was an NSF Presidential Young Investigator.

· Course description

· Grading

· Outline

· Bibliography

Nano printing

Microscopy

Chemical Spectroscopies

Interferometry

Microscopy

Nano Machining

Nano ablation

Plasma Diasnostics

Nano Paterning

Course description

Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray laser radiation is in a region of the spectrum that is rapidly emerging as an indispensable tool for science and nanotechnology. The course will review the fundamental physics concepts that make these ultra-short wavelength lasers possible, and the technical challenges that have been overcome to generate extremely bright laser beams at these wavelengths. The atomic processes and gain medium conditions for the generation of X-ray laser radiation will be discussed. The course will also review how radiation at these short wavelengths interacts with matter and how is used in applications. Applications of EUV and soft X-ray laser light will be discussed that include studies in basic science, ultrahigh-resolution microscopy, the probing of materials with nano-scale resolution, and nano-patterning techniques. The state-of-the-art and the future of X-ray lasers will be discussed.

Interesados escribir a: María Gabriela Capeluto, email: maga@df.uba.ar

Grading

Course grade will be based on homework problems, and on a paper (10-15 pages) and presentation (~20 minutes) on a topic of relevance to the course.

Laser Pumped SXRL λ= 8.8– 32.6 nm

Course outline

1. Introduction

Motivation for the development of X-ray lasers and brief history of the field.

Properties of the EUV and soft X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum

Basic absorption and emission processes

Discharge Pumped SXRL λ=46.9 nm

Atomic energy levels and allowed transitions.

Scattering, diffraction and refraction of electromagnetic radiation

2. Laser Created Plasmas.

•High pulse energy (µJ-mJ)

•High monochromaticity (λ/Δλ < 10^-4)

•High peak spectral brightness

Basic parameters for describing a plasma

Physics of dense plasmas

Plasma models

X-Ray emission from hot dense plasmas

Laser created plasmas: absorption and density gradients

Capillary discharge and Z pinch plasmas

Spectroscopy of dense plasmas

Ni-like Lanthanum 4d1S0- 4p1P1

3. Extreme ultraviolet and X-Ray Lasers

Amplification of radiation and gain saturation in plasmas

Effect of refraction

X-ray laser atomic excitation mechanisms : Collisional electron impact lasers, recombination lasers, and Inner-shell photoionization lasers

Laser-pumped soft X-ray lasers.

Discharge pumped soft X-ray lasers

Approaches to practical table-top lasers

X-ray free-electron lasers

Achievement of full coherence: Injection-seeded soft X-ray lasers

4. Soft x-ray optics

Reflection and refraction of soft x-ray radiation.

Enhanced reflectivity from periodic structures.

Multilayer interference coatings.

Applications of multilayer coated optics.

5. Applications of EUV and soft x-ray laser radiation

5.1 Soft X-Ray microscopy

Fresnel zone plate lens

Diffraction of radiation by pinhole apertures and zone plates

High resolution soft X-ray microscopy and application

Movies of nano-scale phenomena using soft x-ray laser light.

5.2 Soft X-Ray Laser Interferometry

Soft X-ray interferometers

High density plasma diagnostics with soft Xray lasers

5.5. Nano-patterning and nano-machining with soft x-ray lasers

Interferometric lithography

Coherent Talbot printing

Laser nano-machining

5.4 Metrology for Extreme Ultraviolet lithography of the next generations of

Computer processors

Extreme Ultraviolet lithography

5.5. Analytic Nano-probes

Nano-scale laser ablation

Mass spectrometry nanoprobes

Bibliography

1) Class Notes by J. J. Rocca,

2) Selected papers fromthe scientific literature (to be provided),

3) Supporting book "Soft X-Rays and Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation. Principles and Applications". David Attwood. Cambridge University Press. (Each student will be provided with a copy of this book at no cost)