Nanoimaging using soft X-ray and EUV laser-plasma sources

In this work we present three experimental, compact desk-top imaging systems: SXR and EUV full field microscopes and the SXR contact microscope. The systems are based on laser-plasma EUV and SXR sources based on a double stream gas puff target. The EUV and SXR full field microscopes, operating at 13.8 nm and 2.88 nm wavelengths are capable of imaging nanostructures with a sub-50 nm spatial resolution and short (seconds) exposure times. The SXR contact microscope operates in the “water-window” spectral range and produces an imprint of the internal structure of the imaged sample in a thin layer of SXR sensitive photoresist. Applications of such desk-top EUV and SXR microscopes, mostly for biological samples (CT26 fibroblast cells and Keratinocytes) are also presented. Details about the sources, the microscopes as well as the imaging results for various objects will be presented and discussed. The development of such compact imaging systems may be important to the new research related to biological, material science and nanotechnology applications.

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Biological and material science applications of EUV and SXR nanoscale imaging systems based on double stream gas puff target laser plasma sources

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms ◽

10.1016/j.nimb.2017.01.035 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 411 ◽

pp. 29-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alfio Torrisi ◽

Przemyslaw W. Wachulak ◽

Andrzej Bartnik ◽

Łukasz Węgrzyński ◽

Tomasz Fok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laser Plasma ◽

Material Science ◽

Imaging Systems ◽

Plasma Sources ◽

Nanoscale Imaging

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Biological Applications of Short Wavelength Microscopy Based on Compact, Laser-Produced Gas-Puff Plasma Source

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10238338 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (23) ◽

pp. 8338

Author(s):

Alfio Torrisi ◽

Przemysław W. Wachulak ◽

Andrzej Bartnik ◽

Łukasz Węgrzyński ◽

Tomasz Fok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Resolution ◽

Extreme Ultraviolet ◽

Plasma Source ◽

Short Exposure ◽

Biological Applications ◽

Short Exposure Time ◽

Full Field ◽

X Ray ◽

Water Window ◽

Imaging Results

Over the last decades, remarkable efforts have been made to improve the resolution in photon-based microscopes. The employment of compact sources based on table-top laser-produced soft X-ray (SXR) in the “water window” spectral range (λ = 2.3–4.4 nm) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) plasma allowed to overcome the limitations imposed by large facilities, such as synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL), because of their high complexity, costs, and limited user access. A laser-plasma double stream gas-puff target source represents a powerful tool for microscopy operating in transmission mode, significantly improving the spatial resolution into the nanometric scale, comparing to the traditional visible light (optical) microscopes. Such an approach allows generating the plasma efficiently, without debris, providing a high flux of EUV and SXR photons. In this review, we present the development and optimization of desktop imaging systems: a EUV and an SXR full field microscope, allowing to achieve a sub-50 nm spatial resolution with short exposure time and an SXR contact microscope, capable to resolve internal structures in a thin layer of sensitive photoresist. Details about the source, as well as imaging results for biological applications, will be presented and discussed.

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