Frederik Bijkerk

Temperature induced diffusion in Mo/Si multilayer mirrors

To optimize the growth process of Mo/Si multilayers, the effect of an elevated substrate temperature during deposition has been studied in the temperature range between 300 K and 550 K. Multilayer properties, such as interface roughness, d-spacing, and structure of the layers, have been investigated during deposition and cool-down, after cool-down, and during heating. A number of techniques have been used: small-angle, near-normal incidence, and in situ reflectivity measurements. It is found that the increased substrate temperature changes the interface roughness to a minimum value for samples produced at 488 K. Also, a change of the d-spacing as a function of time and temperature is observed and is explained by annihilation of free volume of the Si layer. The atomic structures of the layers deposited at different temperatures have been analyzed with high resolution electron microscopy (TEM), which shows that both materials are amorphous for the entire temperature range investigated. At the extremes of th...

Spectral properties of La/B--based multilayer mirrors near the boron K absorption edge.

The spectral properties of La/B, La/B(4)C, and LaN/B, LaN/B(4)C multilayer mirrors have been investigated in the 6.5-6.9 nm wavelength range based on measured B and B(4)C optical constants. Experimentally it is verified to what extent measured and tabulated optical constants are applicable for simulations of the reflectivity of these short period multilayer mirrors. The measured maximum reflectance at various wavelength values around the boron-K absorption edge is compared to calculated values from model systems. The measured reflectance profiles of La/B and La/B(4)C show a maximum at a slightly larger wavelength than calculations would predict based on the measured B and B(4)C optical constants. This is explained by the influence of a formed boron-lanthanum compound on the wavelength where the multilayer shows maximum reflectance. The maximum reflectance profiles of LaN/B and LaN/B(4)C multilayers can be described accurately by using the same boron atomic scattering factors, indicating boron in the LaN/B(4)C multilayer to be in a similar chemical state as boron in the LaN/B multilayer. It also indicates that nitridation of the La layer in the multilayer prevents the formation of La-B compounds. We show that the optimal wavelength for boron based optics is about 6.65 nm and depends on the B chemical state. Finally, using the measured B optical constants we are able to calculate the spectral response of the multilayers, enabling the prediction of the optimal parameters for the above mentioned multilayers.

Characterization of multilayers by Fourier analysis of x-ray reflectivity

We discuss a new method to characterize multilayer structures with grazing-incidence reflectivity measurements using hard x-ray radiation, such as Cu-Kα or Mo-Kα radiation. The method is based on the analysis of the reverse Fourier transforms of the reflectivity at the Bragg peaks in q-space, the reflectivity data being obtained from an angular scan (θ−2θ). This method is faster than curve fitting of the reflectivity data, results in an accurate value of the density and thickness of both materials, and needs no pre-assumptions about the material composition and the parameters of the multilayer. The method makes a distinction between interface roughness and layer thickness errors, and is independent of measurement of the critical angle. A minor disadvantage is that only an average value of the layer thickness is determined, rather than the individual layer thicknesses. As an example our method is used to analyze small-angle reflectivity measurements of Mo/Si and Co/C multilayers. The parameters thus obtain...

Determination of in-depth density profiles of multilayer structures

We developed and demonstrate an analysis method in which we calibrate the intensity scale of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using Cu K? reflectometry. This results in quantitative in-depth density profiles of multilayer structures. Only three free parameters are needed to obtain the calibrated profiles, corresponding to three TEM image intensity levels. Additionally, the optical indices of the two multilayer materials used and the assumption that the layers are laterally homogeneous are used in the model. The power and the general usefulness of the method is demonstrated using experimental data of W/Si and Mo/Si multilayer systems with sharp interfaces as well as multilayers of which the interfaces were deliberately intermixed.

Hydrogen-induced blistering mechanisms in thin film coatings

We report on the mechanisms of hydrogen-induced blistering of multilayer coatings. Blister formation is a result of highly localized delamination occurring at the two outermost metal-on-silicon interfaces. The number, size, and type of blisters formed varied depending on the composition and ion energy of the incident flux. The results are explained in terms of the multilayer structure being simultaneously susceptible to blistering via two independent mechanisms. A high density of small blisters developed when relatively energetic (several 100 eV) ions were present. Independently, a hydrogenation process that was facilitated by the presence of a small flux of low energy ions (≤ 50 eV) induced a low density of large blisters.

Enhanced diffusion upon amorphous-to-nanocrystalline phase transition in Mo/B4C/Si layered systems

The effect of an amorphous-to-nanocrystalline phase transition on the diffusion across an interface layer of subnanometer thickness has been investigated in real-time. The diffusion in the Mo/B4C/Si thin film structure studied was found to instantaneously enhance by an order of magnitude upon the formation of nanocrystals inducing the atomic-scale onset of grain boundary diffusion

Combined EUV reflectance and X-ray reflectivity data analysis of periodic multilayer structures

We present a way to analyze the chemical composition of periodical multilayer structures using the simultaneous analysis of grazing incidence hard X-Ray reflectivity (GIXR) and normal incidence extreme ultraviolet reflectance (EUVR). This allows to combine the high sensitivity of GIXR data to layer and interface thicknesses with the sensitivity of EUVR to the layer densities and atomic compositions. This method was applied to the reconstruction of the layered structure of a LaN/B multilayer mirror with 3.5 nm periodicity. We have compared profiles obtained by simultaneous EUVR and GIXR and GIXR-only data analysis, both reconstructed profiles result in a similar description of the layered structure. However, the simultaneous analysis of both EUVR and GIXR by a single algorithm lead to a ∼ 2x increased accuracy of the reconstructed layered model, or a more narrow range of solutions, as compared to the GIXR analysis only. It also explains the inherent difficulty of accurately predicting EUV reflectivity from a GIXR-only analysis.

Infrared diffractive filtering for extreme ultraviolet multilayer Bragg reflectors

We report on the development of a hybrid mirror realized by integrating an EUV-reflecting multilayer coating with a lamellar grating substrate. This hybrid mirror acts as an efficient Bragg reflector for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation at a given wavelength while simultaneously providing spectral-selective suppression of the specular reflectance for unwanted longer-wavelength radiation due to the grating phase-shift resonance. The test structures, designed to suppress infrared (IR) radiation, were fabricated by masked deposition of a Si grating substrate followed by coating of the grating with a Mo/Si multilayer. To give the proof of principle, we developed such a hybrid mirror for the specific case of reflecting 13.5 nm radiation while suppressing 10 μm light, resulting in 61% reflectance at the wavelength of 13.5 nm together with the 70 × suppression rate of the specular reflection at the wavelength of 10 μm, but the considered filtering principle can be used for a variety of applications that are based on utilization of broadband radiation sources.

Analytic theory of soft x-ray diffraction by lamellar multilayer gratings

An analytic theory describing soft x-ray diffraction by Lamellar Multilayer Gratings (LMG) has been developed. The theory is derived from a coupled waves approach for LMGs operating in the single-order regime, where an incident plane wave can only excite a single diffraction order. The results from calculations based on these very simple analytic expressions are demonstrated to be in excellent agreement with those obtained using the rigorous coupled-waves approach. The conditions for maximum reflectivity and diffraction efficiency are deduced and discussed. A brief investigation into p-polarized radiation diffraction is also performed.

Properties of broadband depth-graded multilayer mirrors for EUV optical systems

The optical properties of a-periodic, depth-graded multilayer mirrors operating at 13.5 nm wavelength are investigated using different compositions and designs to provide a constant reflectivity over an essentially wider angular range than periodic multilayers. A reflectivity of up to about 60% is achieved in these calculation in the [0, 18 degrees] range of the angle of incidence for the structures without roughness. The effects of different physical and technological factors (interfacial roughness, natural interlayers, number of bi-layers, minimum layer thickness, inaccuracy of optical constants, and thickness errors) are discussed. The results from an experiment on the fabrication of a depth-graded Mo/Si multilayer mirror with a wide angular bandpass in the [0, 16 degrees] range are presented and analyzed.