Compact Soft X-ray Lasers for Imaging, Material Processing, and Characterization at the Nanoscale

We have developed compact laser-pumped and discharge-pumped lasers operating at wavelengths of lambda=13.2 nm and lambda=46.9 nm respectively, and have used them in the demonstration of nanoscale full field imaging, nanopatterning, and nanoscale laser ablation. Using these new compact short wavelength lasers we have built two microscopes, using lambda=46.9 nm or lambda=13.2 nm laser illumination. The compact lambda=46.9 nm microscope condenses the light using a multilayer coated Schwarzschild mirror, and images the test object using a diffractive zone plate lens. By rearranging the optics, the lambda=46.9 nm microscope can also image surfaces. We have recently added the capability to spectroscopically analyze the light emitted from the plasma created during the ablation, opening the possibility to develop analytic nanoprobes. All of these results illustrate the capabilities of compact short wavelength lasers for nanotechnology applications.