Ptychographic hyperspectral spectromicroscopy with an extreme ultraviolet high harmonic comb.

We report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a new scheme of spectromicroscopy in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral range, where the spectral response of the sample at different wavelengths is imaged simultaneously. This scheme is enabled by combining ptychographic information multiplexing (PIM) with a tabletop EUV source based on high harmonic generation, where four spectrally narrow harmonics near 30 nm form a spectral comb structure. Extending PIM from previously demonstrated visible wavelengths to the EUV/X-ray wavelengths promises much higher spatial resolution and a more powerful spectral contrast mechanism, making PIM an attractive spectromicroscopy method in both microscopy and spectroscopy aspects. In addition to spectromicroscopy, this method images the multicolor EUV beam in situ, making this a powerful beam characterization technique. In contrast to other methods, the techniques described here use no hardware to separate wavelengths, leading to efficient use of the EUV radiation.