C. Brewer

Single-shot extreme ultraviolet laser imaging of nanostructures with wavelength resolution

We have demonstrated near-wavelength resolution microscopy in the extreme ultraviolet. Images of 50 nm diameter nanotubes were obtained with a single ~1 ns duration pulse from a desktop-size 46.9 nm laser. We measured the modulation transfer function of the microscope for three different numerical aperture zone plate objectives, demonstrating that 54 nm half-period structures can be resolved. The combination of near-wavelength spatial resolution and high temporal resolution opens myriad opportunities in imaging, such as the ability to directly investigate dynamics of nanoscale structures.

Sub-38 nm resolution tabletop microscopy with 13 nm wavelength laser light

We have acquired images with a spatial resolution better than 38 nm by using a tabletop microscope that combines 13 nm wavelength light from a high-brightness tabletop laser and Fresnel zone plate optics. These results open a gateway to the development of compact and widely available extreme-ultraviolet imaging tools capable of inspecting samples in a variety of environments with a 15-20 nm spatial resolution and a picosecond time resolution.

Nanoimaging with a compact extreme-ultraviolet laser

Images with a spatial resolution of 120-150 nm were obtained with 46.9 nm light from a compact capillary-discharge laser by use of the combination of a Sc-Si multilayer-coated Schwarzschild condenser and a free-standing imaging zone plate. The results are relevant to the development of compact extreme-ultraviolet laser-based imaging tools for nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Microscopy of extreme ultraviolet lithography masks with 13.2 nm tabletop laser illumination

We report the demonstration of a reflection microscope that operates at 13.2 nm wavelength with a spatial resolution of 55+/-3 nm. The microscope uses illumination from a tabletop extreme ultraviolet laser to acquire aerial images of photolithography masks with a 20 s exposure time. The modulation transfer function of the optical system was characterized.

Reflection mode imaging with nanoscale resolution using a compact extreme ultraviolet laser

We report the demonstration of reflection mode imaging of 100 nm-scale features using 46.9 nm light from a compact capillary-discharge laser. Our imaging system employs a Sc/Si multilayer coated Schwarzschild condenser and a freestanding zone plate objective. The reported results advance the development of practical and readily available surface and nanostructure imaging tools based on the use of compact sources of extreme ultraviolet light.

Analysis of extreme ultraviolet microscopy images of patterned nanostructures based on a correlation method

A method to analyze extreme ultraviolet microscopy images of nanostructures that allows for the simultaneous determination of an object’s feature size and image resolution is presented. It is based on the correlation between the image and a set of templates of known resolution generated from the original image using Gaussian filters. The analysis was applied to images obtained with a Fresnel zone plate microscope that uses a 13.2 nm wavelength laser light for illumination. The object’s feature size and the resolution obtained with this method are shown to be in very good agreement with independent measurements of both magnitudes.

Inspection 13.2 nm table-top full-field microscope

We present results on a table-top microscope that uses an EUV stepper geometry to capture full-field images with a halfpitch spatial resolution of 55 nm. This microscope uses a 13.2 nm wavelength table-top laser for illumination and acquires images of reflective masks with exposures of 20 seconds. These experiments open the path to the realization of high resolution table-top imaging systems for actinic defect characterization.

High spatial resolution full-field microscopy using a desktop-size soft x-ray laser

Images with nanoscale resolution were obtained in both transmission and reflection modes using a full-field microscope that is illuminated by an extremely compact λ = 46.9 nm (hν; = 26.4 eV) soft x-ray laser. The microscope was used to image the surface of partially processed silicon semiconductor chips containing periodic patterns of polysilicon and metal lines. To characterize the microscope, modulation transfer functions were experimentally built for three different objective zone plates, and images with near-wavelength resolution were obtained.

High resolution full-field imaging of nanostructures using compact extreme ultraviolet lasers

Recent advances in the development of high peak brightness table-top extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray (SRX) lasers have opened new opportunities for the demonstration of compact full-field EUV/SXR microscopes capable of capturing images with short exposures down to a single laser shot. We demonstrate the practical application of table-top zone plate EUV microscopes that can image nanostructures with a spatial resolution of 54 nm and below and exposure times as short as 1.2 ns, the duration of a single laser shot.

13.2 nm table-top inspection microscope for extreme ultraviolet lithography mask defect characterization

We report on a reflection microscope that operates at 13.2-nm wavelength with a spatial resolution of 55±3 nm. The microscope uses a table-top EUV laser to acquire images of photolithography masks in 20 seconds.