
Extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV or XUV) or high-
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...
ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiati ...
radiation is
electromagnetic radiation
In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) consists of waves of the electromagnetic (EM) field, which propagate through space and carry momentum and electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visible ...
in the part of the
electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies (the spectrum) of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies.
The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from ...
spanning
wavelength
In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tr ...
s from 124
nm down to 10 nm, and therefore (by the
Planck–Einstein equation
The Planck relationFrench & Taylor (1978), pp. 24, 55.Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu & Laloë (1973/1977), pp. 10–11. (referred to as Planck's energy–frequency relation,Schwinger (2001), p. 203. the Planck relation, Planck equation, and Planck formula, ...
) having
photon
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are Massless particle, massless ...
s with energies from 10
eV up to 124 eV. EUV is naturally generated by the
solar corona and artificially by
plasma,
high harmonic generation sources and
synchrotron light sources. Since
UVC extends to 100 nm, there is some overlap in the terms.
The main uses of extreme ultraviolet radiation are
photoelectron spectroscopy,
solar imaging, and
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone ( lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...
. In
air, EUV is the most highly
absorbed component of the electromagnetic spectrum, requiring
high vacuum
''High Vacuum'' is a science fiction novel by Charles Eric Maine. It was first published in 1957 by Hodder & Stoughton.
Synopsis
The first crewed Moon ship, ''Alpha'', runs out of fuel just before landing in the Mare Imbrium and crashes, killin ...
for transmission.
EUV generation
Neutral atoms or
condensed matter
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...
cannot emit EUV radiation.
Ionization
Ionization, or Ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive Electric charge, charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged a ...
must take place first. EUV light can only be emitted by electrons which are bound to multicharged positive ions; for example, to remove an electron from a +3 charged carbon ion (three electrons already removed) requires about 65
eV. Such electrons are more tightly bound than typical
valence electrons
In chemistry and physics, a valence electron is an electron in the outer shell associated with an atom, and that can participate in the formation of a chemical bond if the outer shell is not closed. In a single covalent bond, a shared pair fo ...
. The existence of multicharged positive ions is only possible in a hot dense
plasma. Alternatively, the free electrons and ions may be generated temporarily and instantaneously by the intense
electric field of a
very-high-harmonic laser beam. The electrons accelerate as they return to the parent ion, releasing higher energy photons at diminished intensities, which may be in the EUV range. If the released photons constitute
ionizing radiation, they will also ionize the atoms of the
harmonic
A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the '' fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', ...
-generating medium, depleting the sources of higher-harmonic generation. The freed electrons escape since the electric field of the EUV light is not intense enough to drive the electrons to higher harmonics, while the parent ions are no longer as easily ionized as the originally neutral atoms. Hence, the processes of EUV generation and absorption (ionization) strongly compete against each other.
However, in 2011, Shambhu Ghimire et al. first observed high-harmonic generation in bulk crystals of
zinc oxide
Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the Chemical formula, formula . It is a white powder that is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, food supplements, rubbers, plastics, ceram ...
. It draws interest to invest the possibility and mechanism of HHG in solid state. EUV radiation can be emitted in
silicon dioxide
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...
or
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sap ...
.
Direct tunable generation of EUV
EUV light can also be emitted by free electrons orbiting a
synchrotron
A synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator, descended from the cyclotron, in which the accelerating particle beam travels around a fixed closed-loop path. The magnetic field which bends the particle beam into its closed p ...
.
Continuously tunable
narrowband
Narrowband signals are signals that occupy a narrow range of frequencies or that have a small fractional bandwidth. In the audio spectrum, narrowband sounds are sounds that occupy a narrow range of frequencies. In telephony, narrowband is us ...
EUV light can be
generated by four wave mixing in gas cells of
krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
and
hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...
to wavelengths as low as 110 nm.
In windowless gas chambers fixed four wave mixing has been seen as low as 75 nm.
EUV absorption in matter
When an EUV photon is absorbed,
photoelectrons and
secondary electrons
Secondary electrons are electrons generated as ionization products. They are called 'secondary' because they are generated by other radiation (the ''primary'' radiation). This radiation can be in the form of ions, electrons, or photons with suffici ...
are generated by
ionization
Ionization, or Ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive Electric charge, charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged a ...
, much like what happens when
X-ray
X-rays (or rarely, ''X-radiation'') are a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. In many languages, it is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it in 1895 and named it ' ...
s or electron beams are absorbed by matter.
The response of matter to EUV radiation can be captured in the following equations:
''Point of absorption:''
EUV photon energy = 92 eV, = Electron binding energy + photoelectron initial kinetic energy
''Within 3
mean free path
In physics, mean free path is the average distance over which a moving particle (such as an atom, a molecule, or a photon) travels before substantially changing its direction or energy (or, in a specific context, other properties), typically as a ...
s of photoelectron (1–2 nm):''
Reduction of photoelectron kinetic energy = ionization potential + secondary electron kinetic energy;
''Within 3 mean free paths of secondary electron (~30 nm):''
# Reduction of secondary electron kinetic energy = ionization potential + tertiary electron kinetic energy
# mNth generation electron slows down aside from ionization by heating (
phonon
In physics, a phonon is a collective excitation in a periodic, elastic arrangement of atoms or molecules in condensed matter, specifically in solids and some liquids. A type of quasiparticle, a phonon is an excited state in the quantum mechanical ...
generation)
# Final generation electron kinetic energy ~ 0 eV => dissociative electron attachment + heat, where the
ionization potential
Ionization, or Ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged atom or molecule ...
is typically 7–9 eV for organic materials and 4–5 eV for metals.
The photoelectron subsequently causes the emission of secondary electrons through the process of
impact ionization. Sometimes, an
Auger transition is also possible, resulting in the emission of two electrons with the absorption of a single photon.
Strictly speaking, photoelectrons, Auger electrons and secondary electrons are all accompanied by positively charged holes (ions which can be neutralized by pulling electrons from nearby molecules) in order to preserve charge neutrality. An electron-hole pair is often referred to as an
exciton. For highly energetic electrons, the electron-hole separation can be quite large and the binding energy is correspondingly low, but at lower energy, the electron and hole can be closer to each other. The exciton itself diffuses quite a large distance (>10 nm).
As the name implies, an exciton is an excited state; only when it disappears as the electron and hole recombine, can stable chemical reaction products form.
Since the photon absorption depth exceeds the electron escape depth, as the released electrons eventually slow down, they dissipate their energy ultimately as heat. EUV wavelengths are absorbed much more strongly than longer wavelengths, since their corresponding photon energies exceed the bandgaps of all materials. Consequently, their heating efficiency is significantly higher, and has been marked by lower thermal ablation thresholds in dielectric materials.
Solar minima/maxima
Certain wavelengths of EUV vary by as much as a factor of 50 between
solar minima and
maxima,
which may contribute to
stratospheric warming and
ozone
Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...
production. These may in turn affect atmospheric circulation and climate patterns over short and long term solar cycles.
EUV damage
Like other forms of
ionizing radiation, EUV and electrons released directly or indirectly by the EUV radiation are a likely source of
device damage. Damage may result from oxide desorption or trapped charge following ionization. Damage may also occur through indefinite positive charging by the
Malter effect. If free electrons cannot return to neutralize the net positive charge, positive ion desorption is the only way to restore neutrality. However,
desorption essentially means the surface is degraded during exposure, and furthermore, the desorbed atoms contaminate any exposed optics. EUV damage has already been documented in the CCD radiation aging of the Extreme UV Imaging Telescope (EIT).
Radiation damage is a well-known issue that has been studied in the process of plasma processing damage. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin Synchrotron indicated that wavelengths below 200 nm are capable of measurable surface charging. EUV radiation showed positive charging centimeters beyond the borders of exposure while
VUV (Vacuum Ultraviolet) radiation showed positive charging within the borders of exposure.
Studies using EUV femtosecond pulses at the Free Electron Laser in Hamburg (
FLASH) indicated thermal melting-induced damage thresholds below 100 mJ/cm
2.
An earlier study
showed that electrons produced by the 'soft' ionizing radiation could still penetrate ~100 nm below the surface, resulting in heating.
See also
*
Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer
*
Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010. Launched on 11 February 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program.
The goal of the LWS program is to develop the ...
*
Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope
*
High harmonic generation
*
CHIPSat
*
Extreme ultraviolet lithography
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL) is an optical Photolithography, lithography technology used in steppers, machines that make integrated circuits (ICs) for computers and other electronic devices. It uses a range of extreme ...
*
List of plasma physics articles
References
External links
*
Mediawiki Extension:EUV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Extreme Ultraviolet