Design, fabrication, and characterisation of wire grid polarizers for the deep UV spectral range

In this communication, we show preliminary results on transmissive TiO wire-grid polarizers (WGP) operating in the deep ultraviolet (DUV) range. WGP are devices based on strips of materials with large values of the modulus of the dielectric constant along with high absorption in the operational range. The merit function I is introduced as a new tool to find the optimum material for WGPs in a given spectral range. The experimental dielectric constant of TiO thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition are obtained through spectroscopic ellipsometry, and the function indicates that TiO is the best candidate for WGP in the DUV range when it is compared with other oxides. Once the material selection for WGP is done, we present and compare two different design approaches for WGP: one using an effective medium theory for the periodic structure, and the second using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis. A prototype of WGP is fabricated by electron beam (e-beam) lithography followed by lift-off process; the topography of the sample is analyzed by AFM, and we found noticeable deviations in the grating from the designed values. In preliminary characterization work the effective dielectric constant in two perpendicular orientations is obtained by ellipsometry and the contrast is compared with the design

A study of small impact parameter ion channeling effects in thin crystals

We have recorded channeling patterns produced by 1–2 MeV protons aligned with ⟨1 1 1⟩ axes in 55 nm thick silicon crystals which exhibit characteristic angular structure for deflection angles up to and beyond the axial critical angle, ψa. Such large angular deflections are produced by ions incident on atomic strings with small impact parameters, resulting in trajectories which pass through several radial rings of atomic strings before exiting the thin crystal. Each ring may focus, steer or scatter the channeled ions in the transverse direction and the resulting characteristic angular structure beyond 0.6ψa at different depths can be related to peaks and troughs in the nuclear encounter probability. Such “radial focusing” underlies other axial channeling phenomena in thin crystals including planar channeling of small impact parameter trajectories, peaks around the azimuthal distribution at small tilts and large shoulders in the nuclear encounter probability at tilts beyond ψa

Analysis of synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission spectra with R environment

10.1016/j.radphyschem.2013.04.026Radiation Physics and Chemistry9382-86RPCH

Mitigation strategies for radiation damage in the analysis of ancient materials

International audienc

Two distinct charge density waves in the quasione-dimensional metal Sr0.95NbO3.37 revealed by resonant soft X-ray scattering

The interplay of electron-electron and electron-lattice interactions plays an important role in determining exotic properties in strongly correlated electron systems. Of particular interest is quasi-one-dimensional SrNbOx metals, which are perovskite-related layered Carpy-Galy phases. Quasi-one-dimensional metals often exhibit a charge density wave (CDW) accompanied by lattice distortion; however, to date, the presence of a CDW in a quasi-one-dimensional metallic Carpy-Galy phase has not been detected. Here, we report the discovery of two distinct and simultaneous commensurate CDWs in Sr0.95NbO3.37 using resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSXS), namely, an electronic-(001) superlattice below similar to 200 K and an electronic-(002) Bragg peak. We also observe a non-electronic-(002) Bragg peak showing lattice distortion below similar to 150 K. Through the temperature dependence and resonance profile of these CDWs and the lattice distortion, as well as the relationship between the wavelength and charge density, these CDWs are determined to be Wigner crystals and Peierls-like instabilities, respectively. The electron-electron interaction is strong and dominant even up to 350 K, and upon cooling, it drives the electron-lattice interaction. The correlation length of the electronic-(001) superlattice is surprisingly larger than that of the electronic-(002) Bragg peak, and the superlattice is highly anisotropic. Supported by theoretical calculations, the CDWs are determined by the charge anisotropy and redistribution between the O-2p and Nb-4d orbitals, and the strength of the electronic-(001) superlattice is within the strong coupling limit.ISSN:1884-4057ISSN:1884-404

Wafer Scale Manufacturing of High Precision Micro-Optical Components through X-Ray Lithography yielding 1800 Gray Levels in a Fingertip Sized Chip

Nature Nanotechnolog