Submicron imaging in the EUV spectral range using high-harmonic radiation

Abstract

Nowadays, high-harmonic generation is a state-of-the art technique for laboratory extreme ultra-violet (EUV) sources providing electromagnetic radiation with photon energies up to some hundreds of eV. In contrast to other laser-based EUV-sources, the emitted pulses have pulse durations that are shorter or in the order of the driving laser pulse duration, i.e. fs or less. We report on first experiments using a high-harmonic source for microscopy imaging with radiation of 96 eV close to the silicon-L-edge at 100 eV. A simple setup with a zone plate as objective and a mica test sample yields a spatial resolution of 0.8 μm limited by the pixel size of the back-illuminated ccd used as detector. The advantage of the presented microscopy technique is less found in the achievable spatial resolution but in the combination of moderate spatial and high temporal resolution.