Ion Sculpting of Multilayer Gratings for Extreme Ultraviolet Applications

该项目由材料研究部(DMR)的电子和光子材料计划(EPM)和电气、通信和网络系统(ECCS)的电子、光子学和磁性设备计划(EPMD)共同资助。非技术描述：波长为数十纳米的极紫外光和软X射线光束与专门的光学技术相结合，使先进半导体芯片的纳米成像和光刻等应用成为可能。极端紫外线和软X射线的应用需要光学元件，如反射镜、透镜和光栅，分别能够引导、聚焦、分散或过滤光线。然而，从材料和设计的角度来看，这些光学元件的工程设计都面临着巨大的挑战。在这个项目中，定向离子束与样品表面相互作用，产生锯齿状的周期性图案。通过在这些表面上沉积多层纳米厚的金属层，可以显著提高多层膜的效率，并生产出先进的光学器件，如闪耀衍射光栅。这种光栅可以产生高度定向的光束，这在干涉成像、共振非弹性x射线散射和光谱学等重要应用中是必要的。这一令人兴奋的新研究方向为研究生和本科生提供了大量机会，让他们在真正跨学科的环境中研究尖端科学和技术问题。技术描述：离子雕刻，即用宽广的离子束轰击固体，可以在固体表面产生各种自组装的纳米级图案。本项目将实验和理论研究相结合，旨在展示一种新的“离子雕刻”方法来制作多层闪耀光栅。这种方法有可能产生效率空前的光栅，用于极端紫外线和软X射线波长。该项目包括旨在通过实验和建模了解高定向离子束与表面相互作用的基础研究。理论工作有助于优化离子雕刻过程，并指导实验。最先进的沉积设备和波长测量技术为制作和测试多层金属介质光栅提供了基础设施。

This project is jointly funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials Program (EPM) in the Division of Materials Research (DMR), and by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices Program (EPMD) in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS). Nontechnical Description: With wavelengths of tens of nanometers, bright beams of extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray light in combination with specialized optics are enabling applications such as nano-imaging and the lithography of advanced semiconductor chips. Extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray applications require optical components, such as mirrors, lenses, and gratings, capable of guiding, focusing, and dispersing or filtering the light, respectively. There are, however, enormous challenges in the engineering of these optical components, from both the materials and design standpoints. In this project, directed ion beams interacting with the sample's surface create periodic patterns with a sawtooth form. By depositing stacks of nanometer-thick metal layers on these surfaces, it is possible to significantly enhance the efficiency of the multilayers and to produce advanced optics such as blazed diffraction gratings. Such gratings can generate highly directional beams that are necessary in important applications such as interference imaging, resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, and spectroscopy. This exciting new line of research offers ample opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to work on a cutting-edge scientific and technological problem in a truly interdisciplinary environment. The breath of the outreach efforts of this project ensures participation of a diverse group of students at all levels.Technical Description: "Ion sculpting," i.e., bombarding a solid with a broad ion beam, can produce a remarkable variety of self-assembled nanoscale patterns on a solid surface. This project combines experiments and theoretical investigations with the goal of demonstrating a novel "ion sculpting" method to fabricate multilayer blazed gratings. This method has the potential to produce gratings of unprecedented efficiency for use at extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray wavelengths. The project encompasses fundamental research aimed at understanding the interaction of highly directional ion beams with surfaces through experiments and modeling. The theoretical work facilitates the optimization of the ion-sculpting process and guides the experiments. State-of-the-art deposition equipment and at-wavelength metrology provide the infrastructure to fabricate and test the multilayer metal-dielectric gratings.