Tabletop Coherent Extreme Ultraviolet Metrology and Imaging of Nanostructures

Abstract: Nanoscale fabrication has progressed to the level where detailed near nanometer structure can be routinely produced. As fabrication scales shrink to atomistic scales, a corresponding need for high precision characterization is in demand. The use of extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) for patterning of small-scale features has seen considerable development and application in recent years. Similarly, EUV light offers outstanding advantages for characterization and metrology. In particular, by utilizing a coherent EUV source, detailed nanoscale features can be assessed in a variety of measurement modes. Coherent EUV light is now readily accessible in a tabletop environment with significant advances in high-harmonic generation. Utilizing a coherent EUV source allows access to traditional reflectometry as well as diffraction-based measurements which can be combined for information rich measurements. This work presents a multitude of applications of coherent table top HHG-based light sources for the characterization of industrially relevant samples.