Laser-to-droplet alignment sensitivity relevant for laser-produced plasma sources of extreme ultraviolet light

We present and experimentally validate a model describing the sensitivity of the tilt angle, expansion and propulsion velocity of a tin micro-droplet irradiated by a 1 {\mu}m Nd:YAG laser pulse to its relative alignment. This sensitivity is particularly relevant in industrial plasma sources of extreme ultraviolet light for nanolithographic applications. Our model has but a single parameter: the dimensionless ratio of the laser spot size to the effective size of the droplet, which is related to the position of the plasma critical density surface. Our model enables the development of straightforward scaling arguments in turn enabling precise control the alignment sensitivity.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Drop fragmentation by laser-pulse impact

We study the fragmentation of a liquid drop that is hit by a laser pulse. The drop expands into a thin sheet that breaks by the radial expulsion of ligaments from its rim and the nucleation and growth of holes on the sheet. By combining experimental data from two liquid systems with vastly different time and length scales, we show how the early-time laser-matter interaction affects the late-time fragmentation. We identify two Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities of different origins as the prime cause of the fragmentation and derive scaling laws for the characteristic breakup time and wavenumber. The final web of ligaments results from a subtle interplay between these instabilities and deterministic modulations of the local sheet thickness, which originate from the drop deformation dynamics and spatial variations in the laser-beam profile.</p

Drop fragmentation by laser-pulse impact

We study the fragmentation of a liquid drop that is hit by a laser pulse. The drop expands into a thin sheet that breaks by the radial expulsion of ligaments from its rim and the nucleation and growth of holes on the sheet. By combining experimental data from two liquid systems with vastly different time- and length scales we show how the early-time laser-matter interaction affects the late-time fragmentation. We identify two Rayleigh--Taylor instabilities of different origins as the prime cause of the fragmentation and derive scaling laws for the characteristic breakup time and wavenumber. The final web of ligaments results from a subtle interplay between these instabilities and deterministic modulations of the local sheet thickness, which originate from the drop deformation dynamics and spatial variations in the laser-beam profile.Comment: about to be submitted to JF

Controlling ion kinetic energy distributions in laser produced plasma sources by means of a picosecond pulse pair

The next generation of lithography machines uses extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light originating from laser-produced plasma (LPP) sources, where a small tin droplet is ionized by an intense laser pulse to emit the requested light at 13.5 nm. Numerous irradiation schemes have been explored to increase conversion efficiency (CE), out of which a double-pulse approach comprising a weak picosecond Nd:YAG pre-pulse followed by a powerful pulse is considered to be very promising [1]. Nevertheless, even for such CE-optimized schemes, ion debris ejected from the plasma with kinetic energies up to several keV remain a factor that hampers the maximum performance of LPP sources. In this letter we propose a novel pre-pulse scheme consisting of a picosecond pulse pair at 1064 nm, which decreases the amount of undesirable fast ions, avoids back-reflections to the lasers and enables one to tailor the target shape.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 45 reference

Expansion Dynamics After Laser-Induced Cavitation in Liquid Tin Microdroplets

The cavitation-driven expansion dynamics of liquid tin microdroplets is investigated, set in motion by the ablative impact of a 15-ps laser pulse. We combine high-resolution stroboscopic shadowgraphy with an intuitive fluid dynamic model that includes the onset of fragmentation, and find good agreement between model and experimental data for two different droplet sizes over a wide range of laser pulse energies. The dependence of the initial expansion velocity on these experimental parameters is heuristically captured in a single power law. Further, the obtained late-time mass distributions are shown to be governed by a single parameter. These studies are performed under conditions relevant for plasma light sources for extreme-ultraviolet nanolithography.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Mass Loss from a Stretching Semitransparent Sheet of Liquid Tin

We experimentally study the morphology of a radially expanding sheet of liquid tin, formed by nanosecond-pulse Nd:YAG laser impact on a spherical microdroplet. Specifically, the sheet thickness profile and its time evolution are captured in detail over a range of laser-pulse energies and for two droplet sizes. Two complementary methods to determine this thickness are employed and shown to be in excellent agreement. All obtained thickness profiles collapse onto a single self-similar curve. Spatial integration of the thickness profiles allows us to determine the volume of the sheet. Remarkably, less than half of the initial amount of tin remains in the sheet under conditions relevant for industrial sources of extreme ultraviolet light, where these thin tin sheets serve as target material. Further analysis shows that the dominant fraction of the mass lost from the sheet during its expansion ends up as fine fragments. We propose that such mass loss can be minimized by producing the sheet targets on the shortest possible time scale. These findings may be particularly valuable for ongoing developments in state-of-the-art nanolithography

Mass loss from a stretching semitransparent sheet of liquid tin

\u3cp\u3eWe experimentally study the morphology of a radially expanding sheet of liquid tin, formed by nanosecond-pulse Nd:YAG laser impact on a spherical microdroplet. Specifically, the sheet thickness profile and its time evolution are captured in detail over a range of laser-pulse energies and for two droplet sizes. Two complementary methods to determine this thickness are employed and shown to be in excellent agreement. All obtained thickness profiles collapse onto a single self-similar curve. Spatial integration of the thickness profiles allows us to determine the volume of the sheet. Remarkably, less than half of the initial amount of tin remains in the sheet under conditions relevant for industrial sources of extreme ultraviolet light, where these thin tin sheets serve as target material. Further analysis shows that the dominant fraction of the mass lost from the sheet during its expansion ends up as fine fragments. We propose that such mass loss can be minimized by producing the sheet targets on the shortest possible time scale. These findings may be particularly valuable for ongoing developments in state-of-the-art nanolithography.\u3c/p\u3

The transition from short-to long-timescale pre-pulses: Laser-pulse impact on tin microdroplets

We experimentally study the interaction of intense laser pulses with metallic microdroplets and the resulting deformation. Two main droplet deformation regimes have previously been established: that of sheet-type expansion after impact of "long"(typically >10 ns) pulses governed by incompressible flow and that of spherical expansion by internal cavitation after impact of "short"(typically <100 ps) pulses governed by shock waves, i.e., strongly compressible flow. In this work, we study the transition between these regimes by scanning pulse durations from 0.5 to 7.5 ns, where the boundaries of this range correspond to the limiting cases for the employed droplet diameter of 45 μm. We qualitatively describe the observed deformation types and find scaling laws for the propulsion, expansion, and spall-debris velocities as a function of pulse duration and energy. We identify the ratio of the pulse duration to the acoustic timescale of the droplet as the critical parameter determining the type of deformation. Additionally, we study the influence of fast rise times by comparing square-and Gaussian-shaped laser pulses. These findings extend our understanding of laser-droplet interaction and enlarge the spectrum of controllable target shapes that can be made available for future tin-droplet-based extreme ultraviolet sources

Laser-to-droplet alignment sensitivity relevant for laser-produced plasma sources of extreme ultraviolet light

\u3cp\u3eWe present and experimentally validate a model describing the sensitivity of the tilt angle, expansion, and the propulsion velocity of a tin micro-droplet irradiated by a 1 μm Nd:YAG laser pulse to its relative alignment. This sensitivity is particularly relevant in industrial plasma sources of extreme ultraviolet light for nanolithographic applications. Our model has but a single parameter: the dimensionless ratio of the laser spot size to the effective size of the droplet, which is related to the position of the plasma critical density surface. Our model enables the development of straightforward scaling arguments, in turn enabling precise control of the alignment sensitivity.\u3c/p\u3

The transition from short-to long-timescale pre-pulses: Laser-pulse impact on tin microdroplets

We experimentally study the interaction of intense laser pulses with metallic microdroplets and the resulting deformation. Two main droplet deformation regimes have previously been established: that of sheet-type expansion after impact of "long"(typically >10 ns) pulses governed by incompressible flow and that of spherical expansion by internal cavitation after impact of "short"(typically <100 ps) pulses governed by shock waves, i.e., strongly compressible flow. In this work, we study the transition between these regimes by scanning pulse durations from 0.5 to 7.5 ns, where the boundaries of this range correspond to the limiting cases for the employed droplet diameter of 45 μm. We qualitatively describe the observed deformation types and find scaling laws for the propulsion, expansion, and spall-debris velocities as a function of pulse duration and energy. We identify the ratio of the pulse duration to the acoustic timescale of the droplet as the critical parameter determining the type of deformation. Additionally, we study the influence of fast rise times by comparing square-and Gaussian-shaped laser pulses. These findings extend our understanding of laser-droplet interaction and enlarge the spectrum of controllable target shapes that can be made available for future tin-droplet-based extreme ultraviolet sources