Search

X-ray W/B multilayer mirrors with a period of 2.5 nm were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering and studied in comparison with W/Si multilayer systems of the same period. Transmission electron microscopy, grazing incidence X-Ray reflectivity, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the layer quality and interfaces of the W/B multilayers are not better than those of the W/Si multilayers. Strong intermixing between W and B is present, which leads to compound formation with little or no pure W left after the interaction: an optically unfavorable boride formation and an increased roughness result in a reduced reflectivity. The deposited W/B multilayer mirrors showed a reflectivity of 34.5% at 0.84 nm and angle of incidence 9.7°, compared to 40% obtained for W/Si multilayers. Ion polishing applied on the boron layers did not result in improvements of the reflectivity.

The diffusion barrier properties of Sc2O3 against metal diffusion were studied. Tin and ruthenium were used as probe materials to study the barrier properties of Sc2O3 in thickness ranges that are of relevance for gate materials. Tin deposition and hydrogen radical etching from Sc2O3 layers of 0.5-1.5 nm thickness, deposited on Ru, show that these Sc2O3 layers effectively block the diffusion of Sn into Ru. We show that Sn adhesion and etching depends strongly on the thickness of the Sc2O3 film. The etch-rate is found to be inversely proportional to the Sc2O3 layer thickness, which we attribute to Sc2O3 becoming a more effective charge transfer barrier at larger thicknesses.

The role of oxide on Sn adhesion to Sc surfaces was studied with in-situ ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary electron microscopy. Sn etching with hydrogen radicals was performed on metallic Sc, metallic Sc with a native oxide, and a fully oxidized Sc layer. The results show that Sn adsorbs rather weakly to a non-oxidized Sc surface, and is etched relatively easily by atomic hydrogen. In contrast, the presence of native oxide on Sc allows Sn to adsorb more strongly to the surface, slowing the etching. Furthermore, thinner layers of scandium oxide result in weaker Sn adsorption, indicating that the layer beneath the oxide plays a significant role in determining the adsorption strength. Unexpectedly, for Sn on Sc2O3, and, to a lesser extent, for Sn on Sc, the etch rate shows a variation over time, which is explained by surface restructuring, temperature change, and hydrogen adsorption saturation.

We investigate a hybrid thin film deposition procedure that significantly enhances reflectivity of La/B based nanoscale multilayer structures to be used as Extreme UV mirrors at 6.7 nm wavelength and beyond. We have analyzed the La-nitridation process in detail, and proposed a growth mechanism and deposition procedure for full, stoichiometric passivation of La, avoiding the formation of optically unfavorable BN formation at the LaN-on-B interface. A partial nitridation was applied and studied as a function of the nitridation delay.

A Mo/Si multilayer film may blister under hydrogen exposure. In this paper, we investigate the impact of intrinsic stress on blister formation in multilayers by varying the Si thickness between 3.4–11 nm and changing the hydrogen ion exposure conditions. Increasing the thickness of a-Si is found to introduce a higher average compressive stress in the multilayer film. Measurements of the average film stress before and after hydrogen exposure did not reveal a correlation between stress relaxation and the observation of surface blisters. Comparing the experimentally observed blister size distribution to that predicted by elastic models of blistering due to pressure, and thin film buckling showed that increasing hydrogen pressure under the blister cap is the main cause of the observed blisters. It is also shown that hydrogen diffusion plays an essential role in the blister formation process as sufficient hydrogen is required to pressurize the blister. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on blister formation in nanometer thick Mo/Si multilayer structures due to exposure to hydrogen ion fluxes. The influence of hydrogen flux and ion energy for blister formation have been measured and compared to a blister model. The blister number density increases significantly around 100 eV when increasing the ion energy from 50 to 200 eV. This stepwise behavior could be explained by the fact that for energies  >100 eV hydrogen ions could directly penetrate to the depth where delamination takes place. From the blister model also the blisters internal pressure and surface energy was calculated to be around 100–800 MPa and respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used numerical modeling to study the evolution of EUV-induced plasmas in argon and hydrogen. The results of simulations were compared to the electron densities measured by microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy. It was found that the measured electron densities can be used to derive the integral amount of plasma in the cavity. However, in some regimes, the impact of the setup geometry, EUV spectrum, and EUV induced secondary emission should be taken into account. The influence of these parameters on the generated plasma and the measured electron density is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmas induced by EUV radiation are unique since they are created without the need of any discharge. Moreover, it is essential to characterize these plasmas to understand and predict their long term impact on highly delicate optics in EUV lithography tools. In this paper we study plasmas induced by 13.5 nm EUV radiation in hydrogen gas. The electron density is measured temporally resolved using a non-invasive technique known as microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy. The influence of the EUV pulse energy and gas pressure on the temporal evolution of the electron density has been explored over a parameter range relevant for industry. Our experimental results show that the maximum electron density is in the order of 1014 m−3 and depends linearly on the EUV pulse energy. Furthermore, the maximum electron density depends quadratically on the pressure; the linear term is caused by photoionization and the quadratic term by subsequent electron impact ionization. The decay of the plasma is governed by ambipolar diffusion and, hence, becomes slower at elevated pressures. Similarities and differences of the same processes in argon are highlighted in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probe theories are only applicable in the regime where the probe’s perturbation of the plasma can be neglected. However, it is not always possible to know, a priori, that a particular probe theory can be successfully applied, especially in low density plasmas. This is especially difficult in the case of transient, low density plasmas. Here, we applied probe diagnostics in combination with a 2D particle-in-cell model, to an experiment with a pulsed low density hydrogen plasma. The calculations took into account the full chamber geometry, including the plasma probe as an electrode in the chamber. It was found that the simulations reproduce the time evolution of the probe IV characteristics with good accuracy. The disagreement between the simulated and probe measured plasma density is attributed to the limited applicability of probe theory to measurements of low density pulsed plasmas on a similarly short time scale as investigated here. Indeed, in the case studied here, probe measurements would lead to, either a large overestimate, or underestimate of the plasma density, depending on the chosen probe theory. In contrast, the simulations of the plasma evolution and the probe characteristics do not suffer from such strict applicability limits. These studies show that probe theory cannot be justified through probe measurements. However, limiting cases of probe theories can be used to estimate upper and lower bounds on plasma densities. These theories include and neglect orbital motion, respectively, with different collisional terms leading to intermediate estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental setup that directly reproduces extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography relevant conditions for detailed component exposure tests is described. The EUV setup includes a pulsed plasma radiation source, operating at 13.5 nm; a debris mitigation system; collection and filtering optics; and an ultra-high vacuum experimental chamber, equipped with optical and plasma diagnostics. The first results, identifying the physical parameters and evolution of EUV-induced plasmas, are presented. Finally, the applicability and accuracy of the in situ diagnostics is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure of the PbZr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 (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 LaNiO 3 (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 O 2 pressure, total pressure, and thickness of the electrode layer. Increasing both the O 2 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., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The role of the Mo 2 C/oxide interface on multi-layer graphene (MLG) nucleation during a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process is investigated. During the CVD process, MLG growth is only observed in the presence of a Mo 2 C/SiO 2 interface, indicating that the chemical reactions occurring at this interface trigger the nucleation of MLG. The chemical reaction pathway is explained in four steps as (1) creation of H radicals, (2) reduction of the oxide surface, (3) formation of C-C bonds at O-H sites, and (4) expansion of graphitic domains on the Mo 2 C catalyst. Different Mo 2 C/oxide interfaces are investigated, with varying affinity for reduction in a hydrogen environment. The results demonstrate a catalyst/oxide bifunctionality on MLG nucleation, comprising of CH 4 dehydrogenation by Mo 2 C and initial C-C bond formation at the oxide interface., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In this paper, we present a detailed study on the microstructure evolution and interdiffusion in Nb/Si-layered systems. Interlayer formation during the early stages of growth in sputter-deposited Nb-on-Si and Si-on-Nb bilayer systems is studied in vacuo using a high-sensitivity low-energy ion-scattering technique. An asymmetric intermixing behavior is observed, where the Si-on-Nb interface is ∼2× thinner than the Nb-on-Si interface, and it is explained by the surface-energy difference between Nb and Si. During Nb-on-Si growth, the crystallization of the Nb layer occurs around 2.1 nm as-deposited Nb thickness with a strong Nb(110)-preferred orientation, which is maintained up to 3.3 nm as-deposited Nb thickness. A further increase in the Nb layer thickness above 3.3 nm results in a polycrystalline microstructure with a reduced degree of texture. High-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging is performed on Nb/Si multilayers to study the effect of the Nb layer texture on interdiffusion during low-temperature annealing. Nb/Si multilayers with amorphous 2 nm Nb layers and strongly textured 3 nm thick Nb layers, with limited grain-boundary pathways for diffusion, show no observable interdiffusion during annealing at 200 °C for 8 h, whereas in a Nb/Si multilayer with polycrystalline 4 nm thick Nb layers, a ∼1 nm amorphous Nb/Si interlayer is formed at the Si-on-Nb interface during annealing.

We report on the manufacturing and testing of the first nanofocusing refractive lenses made of single-crystal silicon carbide. We introduce the fabrication process based on lithography, followed by deep isotropic etching. The lenses were characterized at the energy of 12 keV at the beamline P06 of the synchrotron radiation source PETRA III. A focal spot of 186 nm×275 nm has been achieved with a lens working distance of 29 mm.

A comprehensive study on the growth of nanoscale transition metal-on-transition metal (TM-on-TM) systems is presented. The near room-temperature intermixing and segregation phenomena during growth are studied in vacuo using high-sensitivity low-energy ion scattering. The investigated TM-on-TM systems are classified into four types according to the observed intermixing and segregation behavior. Empirical rules are suggested to qualitatively predict the growth characteristics of any TM-on-TM system based on the atomic size difference, surface-energy difference, and enthalpy of mixing between the film and substrate atoms. An exponential trend is observed in the effective interface width as a function of the surface-energy difference between the film and substrate layers, with a subtrend based on the crystal structure of the TM layers. A semiempirical model that accurately describes the experimental data is presented. It serves as a scaling law to predict the effective interface width and the minimum film thickness required for full film coverage in TM-on-TM systems in general. The ability to predict the growth characteristics as well as the interface width for any TM-on-TM system significantly contributes to the process of finding the best material combination for a specific application, where layer growth characteristics are implicitly considered when selecting materials based on their functional properties.

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.

A structural characterization of W/Si multilayers using X-ray reflectivity (XRR), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) is presented. STEM images revealed lateral, periodic density fluctuations in the Si layers, which were further analysed using GISAXS. Characteristic parameters of the fluctuations such as average distance between neighbouring fluctuations, average size and lateral distribution of their position were obtained by fitting numerical simulations to the measured scattering images, and these parameters are in good agreement with the STEM observations. For the numerical simulations the density fluctuations were approximated as a set of spheroids distributed inside the Si layers as a 3D paracrystal (a lattice of spheroids with short-range ordering but lacking any long-range order). From GISAXS, the density of the material inside the density fluctuations is calculated to be 2.07 g cm -3 which is 89% of the bulk value of the deposited layer (2.33 g cm -3 )., (open access.)

We studied a possibility of fabricating LaN/B grazing incidence multilayer mirrors for 6. x nm radiation at a relatively large angle of incidence (AOI = 77° off-normal). LaN/B multilayers with a periodicity of 15 nm were successfully fabricated. But when stored in air for one week they showed strong deterioration of the surface due to oxidation of the topmost LaN layers, even though the multilayer was capped with a thin B film. In a series of experiments with variable LaN thickness it was found that the B protective properties depend on the thickness of the underlying LaN layer. Based on these experiments a 15 nm LaN/La/B multilayer with a passivation layer of only 0.4 nm of LaN was fabricated, which did not show any deterioration of the surface within a testing period of half a year. An initial reflectivity of 74.5% at ≈6.66 nm, AOI = 77° off-normal was achieved, which was reduced by 0.5% absolute in half a year, due to contamination of the top B layer.

High resolution imaging systems for EUV range are based on multilayer optics. Current generation of EUV lithography uses broadband Sn LPP sources, which requires broadband mirrors to fully utilize the source power. On the other hand, there always remains a possibility to use FEL or synchrotron as EUV source. FEL can produce very bright narrowband EUV light of a tunable wavelength, and the spectral bandwidth of the mirror is no longer a restriction. In this paper we look at the consequences of switching to different wavelengths if FEL source is used. For instance, it is known that the reflectance of Mo/Si multilayers increases when approaching Si L-edge, and the spectral bandwidth drops. But the behavior of an angular bandwidth (and its relation with the spectral bandwidth) is usually left out. It is also sometimes assumed that these bandwidths are correlated. For a large aperture EUV optical system with diffraction-limited resolution angular acceptance of a mirror is also a very important parameter. We show that the angular bandwidth of several multilayer systems (Mo/Si, Mo/Be, Ru/Si, Ru/B, La/B) actually increases close to spacer absorption edges, opposite to what occurs with the spectral bandwidth. We study this effect and show that it is caused by an interplay of changing optical constants of respective materials used in these multilayer combinations. We also provide an experimental check of the angular bandwidth of Mo/Si multilayers at 13.5 and 12.6 nm, which confirms our calculations.

Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GID) is a well known technique for the characterization of crystal surfaces. A theoretical study has been performed of the sensitivity of GID to the structure of a crystal surface and distorted nanometre-thin surface layers. To simulate GID from crystals that have a complex subsurface structure, a matrix formalism of the dynamical diffraction theory has been applied. It has been found that the azimuthal rocking curves of a crystal that has a distorted subsurface, measured over a wide angular range, show asymmetric thickness oscillations with two distinguishable sets of frequencies: one corresponding to the diffraction in the single-crystal subsurface layer and the second corresponding to the diffraction in the single-crystal substrate. Therefore, azimuthal rocking curves allow characterization of the subsurface structure of a single crystal. Furthermore, thickness oscillations induced by evanescent diffraction modulate the specular reflection intensity, showing high-intensity modulations. This will potentially allow implementation of subsurface crystal characterization using, for instance, a laboratory-scale X-ray diffractometer., (open access.)

Ruthenium is a perspective material to be used for XUV mirrors at free-electron laser facilities. Yet, it is still poorly studied in the context of ultrafast laser-matter interaction. In this work, we present single-shot damage studies of thin Ru films irradiated by femtosecond XUV free-electron laser pulses at FLASH. Ex-situ analysis of the damaged spots, performed by different types of microscopy, shows that the weakest detected damage is surface roughening. For higher fluences we observe ablation of Ru. Combined simulations using Monte-Carlo code XCASCADE(3D) and the two-temperature model reveal that the damage mechanism is photomechanical spallation, similar to the case of irradiating the target with optical lasers. The analogy with the optical damage studies enables us to explain the observed damage morphologies.

Lanthanum and lanthanum nitride thin films were deposited by magnetron sputtering onto silicon wafers covered by natural oxide. In situ and real-time synchrotron radiation experiments during deposition reveal that lanthanum crystallizes in the face-centred cubic bulk phase. Lanthanum nitride, however, does not form the expected NaCl structure but crystallizes in the theoretically predicted metastable wurtzite and zincblende phases, whereas post-growth nitridation results in zincblende LaN. During deposition of the initial 2-3 nm, amorphous or disordered films with very small crystallites form, while the surface becomes smoother. At larger thicknesses, the La and LaN crystallites are preferentially oriented with the close-packed lattice planes parallel to the substrate surface. For LaN, the onset of texture formation coincides with a sudden increase in roughness. For La, the smoothing process continues even during crystal formation, up to a thickness of about 6 nm. This different growth behaviour is probably related to the lower mobility of the nitride compared with the metal. It is likely that the characteristic void structure of nitride thin films, and the similarity between the crystal structures of wurtzite LaN and La 2 O 3 , evoke the different degradation behaviours of La/B and LaN/B multilayer mirrors for off-normal incidence at 6. x  nm wavelength.

A fully self-contained in-vacuum device for measuring thin film stress in situ is presented. The stress was measured by measuring the curvature of a cantilever on which the thin film was deposited. For this, a dual beam laser deflectometer was used. All optics and electronics needed to perform the measurement are placed inside a vacuum-compatible vessel with the form factor of the substrate holders of the deposition system used. The stand-alone nature of the setup allows the vessel to be moved inside a deposition system independently of optical or electronic feedthroughs while measuring continuously. A Mo/Si multilayer structure was analyzed to evaluate the performance of the setup. A radius of curvature resolution of 270 km was achieved. This allows small details of the stress development to be resolved, such as the interlayer formation between the layers and the amorphous-to-crystalline transition of the molybdenum which occurs at around 2 nm. The setup communicates with an external computer via a Wi-Fi connection. This wireless connection allows remote control over the acquisition and the live feedback of the measured stress. In principle, the vessel can act as a general metrology platform and add measurement capabilities to deposition setups with no modification to the deposition system.

V/Sc multilayer is experimentally demonstrated for the first time as a high reflectance mirror for the soft X-ray water window region. It primarily works at above the Sc-L edge (λ = 3.11 nm) under near normal incidence while a second peak appears at above the V-L edge (λ = 2.42 nm) under grazing incidence. The V/Sc multilayer fabricated with a d-spacing of 1.59 nm and 30 bilayers has a smaller interface width (σ = 0.27 and 0.32 nm) than the conventional used Cr/Sc (σ = 0.28 and 0.47 nm). For V/Sc multilayer with 30 bilayers, the introduction of B 4 C barrier layers has little improvement on the interface structure. As the number of bilayers increasing to 400, the growth morphology and microstructure of the V/Sc layers evolves with slightly increased crystallization. Nevertheless, the surface roughness remains to be 0.25 nm. A maximum soft X-ray reflectance of 18.4% is measured at λ = 3.129 nm at 9° off-normal incidence using the 400-bilayers V/Sc multilayer. According to the fitted model, an s-polarization reflectance of 5.2% can also be expected at λ = 2.425 nm under 40° incidence. Based on the promising experimental results, further improvement of the reflectance can be achieved by using a more stable deposition system, exploring different interface engineering methods and so on.

We have modified and stabilized the ruthenium surface by depositing a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 1-hexadecanethiol on a polycrystalline ruthenium thin film. The growth mechanism, dynamics, and stability of these monolayers were studied. SAMs, deposited under ambient conditions, on piranha-cleaned and piranha + H 2 SO 4 cleaned substrates were compared to monolayers formed on H-radical-cleaned Ru surfaces. We found that alkanethiols on H-radical-cleaned Ru formed densely packed monolayers that remained stable when kept in a nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows a distinct sulfur peak (BE = 162.3 eV), corresponding to metal-sulfur bonding. When exposed to ambient conditions, the SAM decayed over a period of hours.

The adsorption and dissociation of carbon dioxide on a Ru(0001) single crystal surface was investigated by reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) spectroscopy for CO 2 adsorbed at 85 K. RAIRS spectroscopy shows that the adsorption of CO 2 on a Ru(0001) single crystal is partially dissociative, resulting in CO 2 and CO. The CO vibrational mode was also observed to split into two distinct modes, indicating two general populations of CO present at the surface. Furthermore, a time-dependent blue-shift is observed, which is characteristic of increasing CO surface coverage. TPD showed that coverages of up to 0.3 ML were obtained, and no evidence for chemisorption of oxygen on ruthenium was found.

The RAIRS spectra of water adsorbed on Ru(0001) at 85 K are recorded from 600 cm -1 to 4000 cm -1 . Measured at water coverages from 0.13 ML to 2.0 ML, the RAIRS spectra suggest that chemisorption of water on Ru(0001) depends on coverage. Water adsorbs on a clean Ru surface as chemisorbed ice-like clusters (likely through an O-Ru bond) up to 0.33 ML. Above this coverage, the chemisorbed layer saturates. Upon more exposure, water adsorbs as a liquid-like H-bonded layer without bonding to the Ru substrate. The chemisorbed water absorbs 7 times less IR per molecule than the liquid-like structure, which indicates that the orientation of the chemisorbed water is more parallel to the surface. Additionally, the influence of water-Ru bonding on H-bonding is reflected in the OH symmetric stretching mode. Under perturbation from water-Ru bonding, a large red shift (40 cm -1 ) in the free OH stretching frequency is observed in the chemisorbed clusters. By deconvoluting the main H-bonded OH stretching peak into five Gaussian sub-bands at 2945 ± 5 cm -1 , 3210 ± 5 cm -1 , 3300 ± 15 cm -1 , 3430 ± 5 cm -1 and 3570 ± 10 cm -1 , changes in the H-bonding network are rationalized in terms of H-bonding motifs. The donor-acceptor-acceptor motif is significant only in the chemisorbed clusters. On the other hand, the donor-acceptor motif dominates in the liquid-like structure, which increases the disorder present in the adlayer. Although chemisorption is suppressed above 0.33 ML, no structural changes in the ice-like clusters are observed up to multilayer coverage. Therefore, ice-like and liquid-like water coexist in a meta-stable state at 85 K.

We employ X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy at the boron K-edge and the phosphorus L 2,3 -edge to study the structural properties of cubic boron phosphide (c-BP) samples. The X-ray absorption spectra are modeled from first-principles within the density functional theory framework using the excited electron core-hole (XCH) approach. A simple structural model of a perfect c-BP crystal accurately reproduces the P L 2,3 -edge, however it fails to describe the broad and gradual onset of the B K-edge. Simulations of the spectroscopic signatures in boron 1s excitations of intrinsic point defects and the hexagonal BP crystal phase show that these additions to the structural model cannot reproduce the broad pre-edge of the experimental spectrum. Calculated formation enthalpies show that, during the growth of c-BP, it is possible that amorphous boron phases can be grown in conjunction with the desired boron phosphide crystalline phase. In combination with experimental and theoretically obtained X-ray absorption spectra of an amorphous boron structure, which have a similar broad absorption onset in the B K-edge spectrum as the cubic boron phosphide samples, we provide evidence for the presence of amorphous boron clusters in the synthesized c-BP samples.

Renewed interest has been witnessed in utilizing the piezoelectric response of PbZr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 (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 BiFeO 3 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.

We present the first experimental demonstration of a novel type of narrowband and wavelength-tunable multilayer transmission filter for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region. The operating principle of the filter is based on spatially overlapping the nodes of a standing wave field with the absorbing layers within the multilayer structure. For a wavelength with a matching node pattern, this increases the transmission as compared to neighboring wavelengths where anti-nodes overlap with the absorbing layers. Using Ni/Si multilayers where Ni provides strong absorption, we demonstrate the proper working of such anomalous transmission filter. The demonstration is carried out at the example of 13.5 nm wavelength and at normal incidence, providing a 0.27 nm-wide transmission peak. We also demonstrate wavelength tunability by operating the same Ni/Si filter at different wavelengths by varying the angle of incidence. As the multilayer filter is directly deposited on the active area of an EUV-sensitive photodiode, this provides an extremely compact device for easy spectral monitoring in the EUV. The transmission spectrum of the filter is modeled and found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. The agreement proves that such filters and compact monitoring devices can be straightforwardly designed and fabricated, as desired, also for other EUV wavelengths, bandwidths and angles of incidence, thereby showing a high potential for applications.

For photon energies of 1 - 5 keV, blazed gratings with multilayer coating are ideally suited for the suppression of stray and higher orders light in grating monochromators. We developed and characterized a blazed 2000 lines/mm grating coated with a 20 period Cr/C- multilayer. The multilayer d-spacing of 7.3 nm has been adapted to the line distance of 500 nm and the blaze angle of 0.84° in order to provide highest efficiency in the photon energy range between 1.5 keV and 3 keV. Efficiency of the multilayer grating as well as the reflectance of a witness multilayer which were coated simultaneously have been measured. An efficiency of 35% was measured at 2 keV while a maximum efficiency of 55% was achieved at 4 keV. In addition, a strong suppression of higher orders was observed which makes blazed multilayer gratings a favorable dispersing element also for the low X-ray energy range.

We report a hybrid thin-film deposition procedure to significantly enhance the reflectivity of La/B-based multilayer structures. This is of relevance for applications of multilayer optics at 6.7-nm wavelength and beyond. Such multilayers showed a reflectance of 64.1% at 6.65 nm measured at 1.5-degrees off-normal incidence at PTB (BESSY-II). This was achieved by a special scheme of La passivation. The La layer was nitridated to avoid formation of the optically unfavorable LaBx compound at the B-on-La interface. To avoid the also undesired BN formation at the La-on-B interface, a time-dosed nitridation at the initial stage was applied. This research revealed a good potential for further increase in the reflectivity of multilayer structures at 6.7 nm.

Here, we propose a comparison-free inspection technique to detect particle contamination on the reticle of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, based on the photoluminescence spectral characteristics of the contaminant particles and their elemental composition. We have analyzed the spectra from different particles found on reticles in EUV lithographic systems and have determined the minimum detectable particle size: 25 nm for organic particles and 100 nm for Al particles. Stainless steel coatings (50 nm thick and 50 × 50 μm(2) in area) exhibit detectable photoluminescence, and the estimated minimum detectable particle is 2 μm.

Wideband multilayers designed for various applications in hard X-ray to Extreme UV spectral regions are based on a layered system with layer thicknesses varying largely in depth. However, because the internal structure of a thin film depends on its thickness, this will result in multilayers in which material properties such as density, crystallinity, dielectric constant and effective thickness vary from layer to layer. This variation causes the fabricated multilayers to deviate from the model and negatively influences the reflectivity of the multilayers. In this work we solve this problem by developing designs of wideband multilayers with strongly reduced layer thickness variations in depth, without essential degradation of their optical characteristics.