Extreme ultraviolet photon conversion efficiency of tetraphenyl butadiene.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation can be converted to visible light using tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) as a phosphor. 1 µm films of TPB were prepared using thermal vapor deposition of the pure material and by spin coating suspensions of TPB in high-molecular-weight polystyrene/toluene solutions. Calibrated sources and detectors were used to determine the effective photon conversion efficiency of the films for incident EUV radiation in the wavelength range of $125\;{\rm nm}\le\lambda\le 200\;{\rm nm}$125nm≤λ≤200nm. After exposure to atmosphere, the efficiency of the vapor-deposited films decreased significantly, while the efficiency of the spin-coated films remained unchanged. The production of TPB films by spin coating offers the advantages of simplicity and long-term stability.

High-resolution, vacuum-ultraviolet absorption spectrum of boron trifluoride.

In the course of investigations of thermal neutron detection based on mixtures of (10)BF3 with other gases, knowledge was required of the photoabsorption cross sections of (10)BF3 for wavelengths between 135 and 205 nm. Large discrepancies in the values reported in existing literature led to the absolute measurements reported in this communication. The measurements were made at the SURF III Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The measured absorption cross sections vary from 10(-20) cm(2) at 135 nm to less than 10(-21) cm(2) in the region from 165 to 205 nm. Three previously unreported absorption features with resolvable structure were found in the regions 135-145 nm, 150-165 nm, and 190-205 nm. Quantum mechanical calculations, using the TD-B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ variant of time-dependent density functional theory implemented in Gaussian 09, suggest that the observed absorption features arise from symmetry-changing adiabatic transitions.

Observation of the (3)He(n, tp) Reaction by Detection of Far-Ultraviolet Radiation.

We have detected Lyman alpha radiation, 121.6 nm light produced from the n = 2 to n = 1 transition in atomic hydrogen, as a product of the (3)He(n, tp) nuclear reaction occurring in a cell of (3)He gas. The predominant source of this radiation appears to be decay of the 2p state of tritium produced by charge transfer and excitation collisions with the background (3)He gas. Under the experimental conditions reported here we find yields of tens of Lyman alpha photons for every neutron reaction. These results suggest a method of cold neutron detection that is complementary to existing technologies that use proportional counters. In particular, this approach may provide single neutron sensitivity with wide dynamic range capability, and a class of neutron detectors that are compact and operate at relatively low voltages.

Towards High Accuracy Reflectometry for Extreme-Ultraviolet Lithography.

Currently the most demanding application of extreme ultraviolet optics is connected with the development of extreme ultraviolet lithography. Not only does each of the Mo/Si multilayer extreme-ultraviolet stepper mirrors require the highest attainable reflectivity at 13 nm (nearly 70 %), but the central wavelength of the reflectivity of these mirrors must be measured with a wavelength repeatability of 0.001 nm and the peak reflectivity of the reflective masks with a repeatability of 0.12 %. We report on two upgrades of our NIST/DARPA Reflectometry Facility that have given us the ability to achieve 0.1 % repeatability and 0.3 % absolute uncertainty in our reflectivity measurements. A third upgrade, a monochromator with thermal and mechanical stability for improved wavelength repeatability, is currently in the design phase.

Response of a silicon photodiode to pulsed radiation.

Both the integrated-charge and the peak-voltage responsivity of a 1-cm2 Si photodiode optimized for the extreme ultraviolet have been measured with 532-nm-wavelength pulsed radiation. The peak power of the optical pulse is varied from 35 mW to 24 kW with a pulse width of 8.25 ns. A decrease in responsivity is observed with increasing pulse energy, and a model is presented that accounts for the observed loss of responsivity. The integrated-charge responsivity decreases because the presence of photogenerated majority carriers increases the direct recombination rate. The peak-voltage responsivity is reduced because the electric susceptibility of the electrons and holes in the depletion region increases the capacitance of the device. The influence of an applied reverse bias on both responsivities is investigated. The integrated-charge responsivity is found to be identical, with a 1% uncertainty, to the cw responsivity of the device if the energy dependence is considered.

Extreme-ultraviolet efficiency measurements of freestanding transmission gratings.

We report new, near-normal-incidence, transmission grating efficiency results at selected extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths between 4.5 and 30.5 nm for two transmission gratings, one with a period of 200 nm and the other with a period of 400 nm. These gratings consist of opaque gold bars separated by open spaces that have been produced by photolithography techniques commonly used to produce electronic components. The gold bars and the open spaces are nominally of the same width. Both gratings have a thickness of 470 nm. The transmission efficiency at the central, first, and, when possible, second order of diffraction was measured. In addition, guided-wave phenomena at nonnormal angles of incidence, as well as transmission differences depending on which side of the grating was illuminated, were investigated. The observed guided-wave effects allow one to selectively enhance the transmission of the grating at desired wavelengths, as is realized with a blazed reflection grating.