High-Resolution Tabletop Extreme-Ultraviolet Microscopy

Recent demonstrations of high-repetition-rate, high-brightness soft X-ray lasers are opening new possibilities for the development of compact imaging systems with spatial resolution approaching the illumination wavelength. This article examines some of configurations that have been used in these extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging systems and their general capabilities. One of the systems discussed uses the output from a 46.9 nm argon laser to render transmission and reflection-mode images with a spatial resolution of 120 to 150 nm. Another uses a 13 nm AgCd laser with Fresnel zone plate optics, producing transmission-mode images with a spatial resolution of 38 nm.