REG: Soft X-Ray Spectrometer

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The interaction of high energy femtosecond through picosecond laser pulses with solid targets provides a bright source of incoherent soft X-rays. In this Engineering Research Equipment Grant, two experiments are described which employ the interaction of energetic femtosecond through 100 ps pulses with solid targets. These experiments require the use of soft X-ray spectrometer (~10-400A range) to monitor the hot plasma emission. The first experiment has as its aim the efficient and high average power generation of 0.1-1 KeV X-rays for eventual application to soft X-ray lithography. By preparing appropriately shaped and sized short plasma density scalelengths and adjusting the input polarization, pulse length, and incidence angle of a short laser pulse of ~2-20 mJ energy, the generation of 0.1-1 KeV X-rays with at least 10% efficiency is expected. This will provide a proof-of-principle for scaling to very high repetition rate laser systems. A second use for the spectrometer will be the monitoring of soft X-ray emission from femtosecond laser-produced plasmas. This has applications in the production of an ultrashort pulse X- ray source and in the study of the unique, high-density, non-ideal plasmas produced in the interaction.