Generation of soft x-ray radiation by laser irradiation of a gas puff xenon target

Plasmas produced from laser-irradiated gas puff xenon targets, created by pulsed injection of xenon with high-pressure solenoid valve, offer the possibility of realizing a debrisless x-ray point source for the x-ray lithography applications. In this paper we present results of the experimental investigations on the x-ray generation from a gas puff xenon target irradiated with nanosecond high-power laser pulses produced using two different laser facilities; a Nd:glass laser operating at 1.06 μm, which generated 10-15 J pulses in 1 ns FWHM, and Nd:glass slab laser, producing pulses of 10 ns duration with energy reaching 12 J for a 0.53 μm wavelength or 20 J for 1.05 μm. To study the x-ray emission different x-ray diagnostic methods have been used. X-ray spectra were registered using a flat CsAP crystal spectrograph with an x-ray film or a curved KAP crystal spectrograph with a convex curvature coupled to an x-ray CCD readout detector. X-ray images have been taken using pinhole cameras with an x-ray film or a CCD array. X-ray yield was measured with the use of semiconductor detectors (silicon photodiodes or diamond photoconductors).