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The dynamics of femtosecond laser ablation of transparent polymers were examined using time-resolved reflectivity. When these polymers were irradiated by a pump pulse with fluence above the ablation threshold of 0.8-2.0 J/cm², we observed the oscillation of the reflectivity caused by the interference between the reflected probe pulses from the sample surface and the thin layer due to the non-thermal photomechanical effects of spallation. As the fluence of the pump pulse increased, the separation velocity of the thin layer increased from 6 km/s to the asymptotic value of 11 km/s. It is suggested that the velocities are determined by shock-wave velocities of the photo-excited layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a benchmark measurement of the electron density profile in the region where the electron density is 1019cm-3 and where the bulk of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission occurs from isotropically expanding spherical high-Z gadolinium plasmas. It was found that, due to opacity effects, the observed EUV emission is mostly produced from an underdense region. We have analyzed timeresolved emission spectra with the aid of atomic structure calculations and find the multiple ion charge states around 18+ during the laser pulse irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond laser ablation processes on platinum, gold, and tungsten were observed by the single shot pump and probe reflective imaging using a soft x-ray laser probe. To avoid the timing error due to the jitter, we adopted a posteriori correction technique by simultaneous measurement of timing between the pump and probe pulses for every single shot, using a soft x-ray streak camera. A clear difference was found in the temporal behavior of the dynamical response of the soft x-ray reflectivity depending on the irradiated laser fluence in these three materials. On the other hand, the narrow dark rings were found in Pt and W, while an additional bright ring was found outside the dark disk in Au. Our result gives the experimental data comparable with various numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We irradiated the soft x-ray laser (SXRL) pulses having a wavelength of 13.9 nm, the duration time of 7 ps to aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) and gold (Au) surfaces. After the irradiation processes of SXRL beam with laser flux of ∼14 mJ/cm2 for Al case and of ∼21 mJ/cm2 for Cu and Au cases, the modified surfaces were observed with the visible microscope, the scanning electron microscope, and the atomic force microscope. The surface modifications caused by the SXRL irradiations were clearly seen on the surfaces, and it was found that the conical structures having around 100 nm in diameters were formed on the Al surface under a single pulse shot. The conical structures were formed in the features with the average depth of about 40 nm, and this value was in accordance with the attenuation length of the SXRL beam for Al. The modified structure on Al surface induced by SXRL pulse irradiations is different from those of Cu and Au surfaces. The modified structure formed on Al surface induced by the SXRL pulse exposure is interesting as the newly structure. Hence, the SXRL beam would be a candidate for a tool of micromachining, which enable to fabricate of three dimensional structures with nano-meter size on Al surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We numerically investigate image formation in a photoresist for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. We develop a simulation model based on percolation theory, which is applicable to the exposure and development of a metal nanoparticle resist. We model the formation of the negative-tone image by condensation of the resist particles after the absorption of EUV photons. We validate the model by making a comparison between the calculated and experimental contrast curve of the resist and show that the calculation reproduces the critical behavior of the image formation. With the model, we investigate the line width roughness of the image, which is caused by the effect of stochastic distribution of EUV photons, (e.g., photon shot noise). We discuss the dependence of the roughness on the dose as well as on the properties of the resist material, such as the absorption length, at a wavelength of 13.5 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simplified flash-lamp pumped high-average-power Nd:YAG nanosecond laser system based on a master oscillator power amplifier platform was developed toward outside laser remote sensing. The performance of the laser system was demonstrated, obtaining 4 J output pulse energy with a 50 Hz operating frequency. Thermal lens effects were compensated for by using only simple image relays and up to 97% of the laser energy could be contained in the focal spot. The developed laser system was constructed using only components suitable for operation under outside conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterized the spectral structure of the soft X-ray emission and determined the plasma parameters in laser-produced highly charged platinum plasmas. The spectral structure observed originated from Pt21+ to Pt34+ ions, emissions from which overlapped to produce a high output flux in the carbon-window soft X-ray spectral region. Using dual laser pulse irradiation, we observed the maximum output flux, which was 20% larger than that obtained under single-laser irradiation, and the evolution of a strongly absorbed spectral structure, which was attributed to the effects of both opacity and long-scale length of the expanding pre-plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate high conversion efficiency for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission at 6.5–6.7 nm from multiple laser beam-produced one-dimensional spherical plasmas. Multiply charged-state ions produce strong resonance emission lines, which combine to yield intense unresolved transition arrays (UTAs) in Gd, Tb, and Mo. At an optimum laser intensity of 1 × 1012 W/cm2, which is estimated to yield an electron temperature of around 100 eV, the maximum in-band EUV conversion efficiency (CE) was observed to be 0.8%, which is one of the highest values ever reported due to the reduction of plasma expansion loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]