Studies of high-repetition-rate laser plasma EUV sources from droplet targets

The water droplet laser plasma source has been shown to have many attractive features as a continuous, almost debris-free source for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray applications. Through a dual experimental and theoretical study, we analyze the interaction physics between the laser light and the target. The hydrodynamic laser plasma simulation code, Medusa103 is used to model the electron density distribution for comparison to electron density distributions obtained through Abel inversion of plasma interferograms. In addition, flat field EUV spectra are compared to synthetic spectra calculated with the atomic physics code RATION. Received: 31 October 2002 / Accepted: 8 February 2003 / Published online: 28 May 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Present address: Naval Reseach Laboratory, Washington D.C. RID="**" ID="**"Present address: Xtreme Technologies, G?ttingen, Germany. RID="***" ID="***"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-407/823-3570, E-mail: mrichard@mail.ucf.edu     

Comments on ion microfield distributions as used in plasma line broadening theories

It is shown that the use of an extended ion microfield function gives rise to improved line shapes in the transition region between the line center and the asymptotic wings.     

Asymmetric high-energy ion emission from argon clusters in intense laser fields

Clusters of 2x10(3) to 4x10(4) Ar atoms are Coulomb exploded in intense (up to 8x10(15) W cm(-2)) laser fields. The dependence of multiply charged argon ion energies on the polarization state of light is probed. A directional asymmetry in the ion-explosion energies is observed for the highest charge states. The ion-energy distribution consists of a low-energy isotropic component, and a high-energy anisotropic one. The results are discussed in terms of an asymmetric Coulomb-explosion scenario.     

Excitation of low-lying nuclear states by the ion line emission in femtosecond laser plasma

A scheme of nuclear excitation by the ionic X-ray lines in laser plasma using two femtosecond laser pulses is proposed. The first pulse produces plasma with a given degree of ionization, allowing the X-ray line energies of the target ions to be tuned to resonance with the nuclear transition, while the second pulse generates hot electrons that are necessary for X-ray generation.     

Comparison of the laser-induced plasma of different metal targets as X-rays sources in vacuum

ABSTRACT

Laser-induced plasma is a good source of X-rays. It has much importance in different fields such as industry and medical field. In the current work, Nd: YAG laser was irradiated on metal targets (Al, Cu, Ni, Zn, Sb and Pb) under vacuum 10^?3?torr. Plasma plume is captured by the charged couple device. The emitted X-rays from plasma plume are detected by BPX-65 PIN photodiode through a proper biasing circuit and electrical signals are stored by digital storage oscilloscope (UNI-T UT2202C, 200?MHz). Energy was calculated from these electrical signals. The parameters of X-rays are strongly dependent on the atomic number.     

Conical emission from laser plasma interactions in the filamentation of powerful ultrashort laser pulses in air

We performed detailed experimental and numerical investigations of the conical emission (CE) accompanying the filamentation of powerful ultrashort laser pulses in air. It was found that the CE originates from self-phase modulation in the plasma produced by the pulse during propagation. The experiment and the simulation agree on the essential features of the CE: The CE angle decreases with increasing wavelength and is independent of the position along the filament, and there is no CE at Stokes-shifted wavelengths.     

Deposition of fullerene films from the ablation plasma generated by high-power ion beams on graphite targets

A possibility of deposing carbon films with a high content of C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes from an ablation plasma generated as a result of irradiation of graphite targets by pulsed high-power ion beams is shown. The relative contents of the crystalline diamond-like carbon phase, crystalline fullerene phase, and amorphous carbon phase have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis for different deposition conditions. The nanohardness and Young’s modulus of the deposited films and their adhesion to the single-crystal silicon substrate have been measured.     

X-ray spectra of multiply-charged hollow ions in the emission from a femtosecond laser plasma

A new type of quasicontinuous emission spectrum from a femtosecond laser plasma near the Ly_α line of H-like ions is obtained and interpreted. It is shown that these spectra are emitted by multiply charged hollow ions, which are present in the plasma on account of its ultrahigh density, which, in turn, is due to the use of high-contrast laser pulses for producing the plasma. A new spectroscopic approach based on analysis of the composition of spectral complexes of hollow ions is discussed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 7, 467–472 (10 April 1998)     

Effect of prepulse laser wavelength on EUV emission from CO2 reheated laser-produced Sn plasma

We investigated the role of prepulse laser wavelength on extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) emission and ionic debris generation. A 6 ns Nd:YAG laser operating at 266 nm was used to generate a pre-plasma that was then reheated by a 35 ns CO₂ laser pumping pulse at 10.6 μm. At an ideal delay time, improvement in EUV conversion efficiency (CE) of up to 30 % was seen compared to the CE from the pumping pulse alone. It was also shown that the most probable Sn ion kinetic energies were reduced significantly with the use of a prepulse, however, ion fluence increased. These results were compared to those obtained using a 1064 nm prepulse.     

The influence of the gas cluster ion beam composition on defect formation in targets

Defect formation in silicon-on-sapphire films under the action of a gas beam of 30 keV argon cluster ions is studied. Rutherford backscattering in the channeling mode is used to demonstrate the formation of a large number of defects in the volume of a specimen that is irradiated by a cluster ion beam without mass separation. If atomic and light cluster ions are removed from the beam, defect-free etching of the specimen occurs.     

Parametric dependence of ion temperature and electron density in the summa hot-ion plasma using laser light scattering and emission spectroscopy

Hot-ion plasma experiments were conducted in the NASA Lewis SUMMA facility. A steady-state modified Penning discharge was formed by applying a radially inward d.c. electric field of several kilovolts near the magnetic mirror maxima. Results are reported for a hydrogen plasma covering a wide range in midplane magnetic flux densities from 0.5 to 3.37 T. Input power greater than 45 kW was obtained with water-cooled cathodes. Steady-state plasmas with ion kinetic temperatures from 18 to 830 eV were produced and measured spectroscopically. These ion temperatures were correlated with current, voltage, and magnetic flux density as the independent variables. Electron density measurements were made using an unusually sensitive Thomson scattering apparatus. The measured electron densities ranged from 2.1 x 10¹¹ to 6.8 x 10¹²1/cm³.     

Charged particle emission,photon emission,and plasma formation induced by CO2 laser pulsed irradiation of WC-Co hardmetals in vacuum and in air

The thresholds of charged particle emission, photon emission and plasma formation induced by CO₂ laser pulsed irradiation of WC-Co hardmetals were determined. The influence of the surface roughness and chemical composition on the thresholds and on the mechanism of the plasma formation was considered. The first experimental data were obtained which indicate the possible realization of the emissive mechanism of air optical breakdown in the vicinity of the solid surface.     

Generation of strong coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation from the laser plasma produced on the surface of solid targets

We demonstrate the generation of high harmonics (up to the 65th order, λ=12.24 nm) of a Ti:sapphire laser radiation after the propagation of femtosecond laser pulses through the low-excited plasma produced by a picosecond prepulse radiation on the surface of different targets. High-order harmonics generated from the surface plasma of most targets showed a plateau pattern. It is assumed that the harmonic generation in these conditions occurs due to the interaction of the femtosecond pulses with the ions. The conversion efficiencies at the plateau region were varied between 1×10^-7 to 8×10^-6, depending on the target. The main contribution to the limitation of harmonic generation efficiency and cutoff energy was attributed to the self-defocusing of main pulse. A considerable restriction of the 27th harmonic generation was observed at different focusing conditions in the case of chromium plasma. Our observation of the resonance-induced enhancement of a single harmonic (λ=61.2 nm) at a plateau region with the efficiency of 8×10^-5 in the case of In plasma can offer some expectation that analogous processes can be realized in other plasma samples in the shorter wavelength range where the highest harmonics were achieved. PACS 42.65.Ky; 52.35.Mw; 52.38.-r     

Effects of mass difference on pressure-dependent emission characteristics in laser-induced plasma spectroscopy

A comprehensive experimental study was performed to demonstrate the effects of ambient air pressure on the emission characteristics of analyte elements in a variety of host materials in laser-induced plasma spectroscopy in low ambient air pressures. It was shown that the pressure-dependent characteristics of the emission lines are generally influenced by host elements when significant mass difference exists between the analyte and the host elements. Further investigation on the time profiles of the spatially integrated emission intensities reveal the important interplay among the dynamical factors associated with the mass-difference effect, which effectively influence the shock wave excitation process and hence the related emission intensities. The result of this study also indicates the need of proper control of time delay for the detection of maximum emission intensity in the cases considered. PACS 50.52     

Plasmonic emission and plasma lattice structures induced by pulsed laser in Purcell cavity on silicon

The lattice structure image of a plasma standing wave in a Purcell cavity of silicon is observed. The plasma wave produced by the pulsed laser could be used to fabricate the micro-nanostructure of silicon. The plasma lattice structures induced by the nanosecond pulsed laser in the cavity may be similar to the Wigner crystal structure. It is interesting that the beautiful diffraction pattern could be observed in the plasma lattice structure. The radiation lifetime could be shortened to the nanosecond range throughout the entire spectral range and the relaxation time could be lengthened for higher emission efficiency in the Purcell cavity, which results in the fact that the plasmonic emission is stronger and its threshold is lower.     

Theory of ion extraction from plasma by an external electric field in systems of laser isotope separation

A refined model of processes taking place in electrostatic extractors is proposed. The model is based on the analysis of the present-day state of theoretical studies in this field and takes into account both the Langmuir and Bohm mechanisms of ion transport, calculations of initial profile of ionic current to the cathode, and the integrated contribution of ionic current to the anode. The Bohm mechanism is shown to make the dominant contribution to ion extraction for typical values of initial ionic densityn _i ⁰ ≥10¹⁰ cm^?3. Under these conditions, this mechanism not only causes a considerable (by more than an order of magnitude) decrease in plasma relaxation time τ _R in comparison with the values determined by the usual Langmuir mechanism, but also substantially modifies the main structural dependences of the relaxation time, which are found to be now in good agreement with the experimental power dependences. The new results obtained in the work favor the view that electrostatic (nonmagnetic) ion extraction systems provide a rather high efficiency at an increased (n _i ⁰ ～10¹¹ cm^?3) plasma density and, correspondingly, at a high power density.