Ion Sculpting of Multilayer Gratings for Extreme Ultraviolet Applications

该项目由材料研究部（DMR）的电子和光子材料项目（EPM）以及电气、通信和网络系统部（ECCS）的电子、光子学和磁性器件项目（EPMD）共同资助。非技术描述：波长为几十纳米，极紫外光和软x射线的明亮光束与专业光学相结合，使纳米成像和先进半导体芯片的光刻等应用成为可能。极紫外和软x射线应用需要光学元件，如反射镜、透镜和光栅，能够分别引导、聚焦、分散或过滤光。然而，从材料和设计的角度来看，这些光学元件的工程设计面临着巨大的挑战。在这个项目中，定向离子束与样品表面相互作用，形成锯齿状的周期性图案。通过在这些表面上沉积纳米厚的金属层，可以显著提高多层的效率，并产生先进的光学器件，如燃烧衍射光栅。这种光栅可以产生高度定向的光束，这在诸如干涉成像、共振非弹性x射线散射和光谱学等重要应用中是必需的。这一令人兴奋的新研究方向为研究生和本科生在真正的跨学科环境中研究前沿科学和技术问题提供了充足的机会。该项目外联工作的气息确保了各级不同学生群体的参与。技术描述：“离子雕刻”，即用宽离子束轰击固体，可以在固体表面上产生各种各样的自组装纳米级图案。该项目结合实验和理论研究，目的是展示一种新的“离子雕刻”方法来制造多层燃烧光栅。这种方法有潜力在极紫外和软x射线波长下产生前所未有的效率光栅。该项目包括基础研究，旨在通过实验和建模来理解高度定向离子束与表面的相互作用。理论工作有助于离子雕刻工艺的优化和实验的指导。先进的沉积设备和波长测量技术为多层金属介电光栅的制造和测试提供了基础设施。

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.