X-ray contact microscopy using a plasma source generated by long and short (120-ns and 10-ns) excimer laser pulses

Robin A. Cotton; Sarah Bollanti; Paolo Di Lazzaro; Francesco Flora; Nicola Lisi; Tommaso Letardi; Libero Palladino; Armando Reale; Dimitri Batani; Aldo Conti; A. Mauri; M. Moret; Lucia Reale; Patrizia Albertano; Antonio Grilli

doi:10.1117/12.220977

18 September 1995 X-ray contact microscopy using a plasma source generated by long and short (120-ns and 10-ns) excimer laser pulses

Robin A. Cotton, Sarah Bollanti, Paolo Di Lazzaro, Francesco Flora, Nicola Lisi, Tommaso Letardi, Libero Palladino, Armando Reale, Dimitri Batani, Aldo Conti, A. Mauri, M. Moret, Lucia Reale, Patrizia Albertano, Antonio Grilli

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2523, Applications of Laser Plasma Radiation II; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.220977
Event: SPIE's 1995 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1995, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Soft x-ray contact microscopy (SXCM), using a pulsed x-ray source, offers the possibility of imaging the ultrastructure of living biological systems at sub-50nm resolution. We have developed a pulsed plasma x-ray source for this application, generated by the large volume XeCl laser 'Hercules'. Various unstable optical resonator configurations were employed to achieve a high laser intensity to increase the conversion efficiency to 'water window' x-rays (280-530eV). Optimum plasma conditions for SXCM are discussed, including the effect of pulse duration on image resolution. Soft x-ray contact images of Chlamydomonas dysosmos (unicellular alga) and the cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya are shown. In addition, the potential of producing a 'movie film' of the development of x-ray images within the photoresist (acting as the recording medium) is discussed, following the resist development while viewing by atomic force microscopy.

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Robin A. Cotton, Sarah Bollanti, Paolo Di Lazzaro, Francesco Flora, Nicola Lisi, Tommaso Letardi, Libero Palladino, Armando Reale, Dimitri Batani, Aldo Conti, A. Mauri, M. Moret, Lucia Reale, Patrizia Albertano, and Antonio Grilli "X-ray contact microscopy using a plasma source generated by long and short (120-ns and 10-ns) excimer laser pulses", Proc. SPIE 2523, Applications of Laser Plasma Radiation II, (18 September 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.220977

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