Extreme ultraviolet broadband imaging spectrometer using dispersion-matched zone plates.

We present simultaneous 1D imaging and broadband spectroscopy of a laser-produced plasma (LPP) source of extreme ultraviolet light, using a tapered zone plate that is matched to the dispersion of a transmission grating. We describe the design and fabrication of the zone plates in the 5-80 nm wavelength regime with designed spatial resolution of ∼10 µm and spectral resolution of ∼0.8 nm. Subsequently, we benchmark the imaging spectrometer with a solid tin target LPP. Plane wave propagation simulations qualitatively match the experimental results and confirm the device performance.

Influence of the Template Layer on the Structure and Ferroelectric Properties of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 Films.

The microstructure of the PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) films is known to influence the ferroelectric properties, but so far mainly the effect of the deposition conditions of the PZT has been investigated. To our knowledge, the influence of the underlying electrode layer and the mechanisms leading to changes in the PZT microstructure have not been explored. Using LaNiO3 (LNO) as the bottom electrode material, we investigated the evolution of the PZT microstructure and ferroelectric properties for changing LNO pulsed-laser deposition conditions. The explored deposition conditions were the O2 pressure, total pressure, and thickness of the electrode layer. Increasing both the O2 pressure and the thickness of the electrode layer changes the growth of PZT from a smooth, dense film to a rough, columnar film. We explain the origin of the change in PZT microstructure as the increased roughness of the electrode layer in relaxing the misfit strain. The strain relaxation mechanism is evidenced by the increase in the crystal phase with bulk LNO unit cell dimensions in comparison to the crystal phase with substrate-clamped unit cell dimensions. We explain the change from a dense to a columnar microstructure as a result of the change in the growth mode from Frank-van der Merwe to Stranski-Krastanov. The ferroelectric properties of the columnar films are improved compared to those of the smooth, dense films. The ability to tune the ferroelectric properties with the microstructure is primarily relevant for ferroelectric applications such as actuators and systems for energy harvesting and storage.

Nanoscale piezoelectric surface modulation for adaptive extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray optics.

Extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray wavelengths have ever-increasing applications in photolithography, imaging, and spectroscopy. Adaptive schemes for wavefront correction at such a short wavelength range have recently gained much attention. In this Letter we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a functional actuator based on piezoelectric thin films. We introduce a new approach that allows producing a gradually varying surface deformation. White light interferometery is used to show the level of control in generating arbitrary surface profiles at the nanoscale.

Tuning of large piezoelectric response in nanosheet-buffered lead zirconate titanate films on glass substrates.

Renewed interest has been witnessed in utilizing the piezoelectric response of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) films on glass substrates for applications such as adaptive optics. Accordingly, new methodologies are being explored to grow well-oriented PZT thin films to harvest a large piezoelectric response. However, thin film piezoelectric response is significantly reduced compared to intrinsic response due to substrate induced clamping, even when films are well-oriented. Here, a novel method is presented to grow preferentially (100)-oriented PZT films on glass substrates by utilizing crystalline nanosheets as seed layers. Furthermore, increasing the repetition frequency up to 20 Hz during pulsed laser deposition helps to tune the film microstructure to hierarchically ordered columns that leads to reduced clamping and enhanced piezoelectric response evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and analytical calculations. A large piezoelectric coefficient of 250 pm/V is observed in optimally tuned structure which is more than two times the highest reported piezoelectric response on glass. To confirm that the clamping compromises the piezoelectric response, denser films are deposited using a lower repetition frequency and a BiFeO3 buffer layer resulting in significantly reduced piezoelectric responses. This paper demonstrates a novel method for PZT integration on glass substrates without compromising the large piezoelectric response.

Spectral purification and infrared light recycling in extreme ultraviolet lithography sources.

We present the design of a novel collector mirror for laser produced plasma (LPP) light sources to be used in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. The design prevents undesired infrared (IR) drive laser light, reflected from the plasma, from reaching the exit of the light source. This results in a strong purification of the EUV light, while the reflected IR light becomes refocused into the plasma for enhancing the IR-to-EUV conversion. The dual advantage of EUV purification and conversion enhancement is achieved by incorporating an IR Fresnel zone plate pattern into the EUV reflective multilayer coating of the collector mirror. Calculations using Fresnel-Kirchhoff's diffraction theory for a typical collector design show that the IR light at the EUV exit is suppressed by four orders of magnitude. Simultaneously, 37% of the reflected IR light is refocused back the plasma.

Wavefront correction in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range using piezoelectric thin films.

A new scheme for wavefront correction in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range is presented. The central feature of the scheme is the successful growth of crystalline piezoelectric thin films with the desired orientation on an amorphous glass substrate. The piezoelectric films show a high piezoelectric coefficient of 250 pm/V. Using wavefront calculations we show that the grown films would enable high-quality wavefront correction, based on a stroke of 25 nm, with voltages that are well below the electrical breakdown limit of the piezoelectric film.

Method to calculate the far field of three-dimensional objects for computer-generated holography.

Here, a new method for calculating the computer-generated holograms of three-dimensional (3D) objects is presented along with a review of current techniques. The method, the planar layers method (PLM), is established on the idea of representing 3D objects in discrete planar layers perpendicular to the observation plane, then calculating the total far field pattern by summing up the far field patterns of each layer. Simulation results, computational complexity, and error comparisons reveal that this new method can be used to calculate far field patterns--hence, the holograms--of computer-synthesized objects very efficiently.