Characterization of Si and SiC detectors for laser-generated plasma monitoring in short wavelength range

Abstract

Silicon carbide detectors were employed to characterize the plasma produced by laser interaction with a double stream gas-puff target source. A 10 Hz repetition rate Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm wavelength, 0.69 J pulse energy and 3 ns pulse duration) was employed to irradiate different gas-puff targets (Argon, Xenon and Sulfur hexafluoride), at different pressures (1–10 bar), emitting plasma radiation in different wavelength ranges (ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet and soft X-rays). The emission produced by the laser radiation was properly filtered (employing Titanium, Aluminium, Zirconium and Calcium fluoride filters), to narrow down the broad-band emission of the generated plasma. The SiC detectors' signals were compared with a calibrated traditional silicon detector evaluating their differences, i.e. taking into account the plasma stability, the time trace profile and the characteristics of the gas-puff target source. The obtained results, which will be presented and discussed, allow to improve the geometry and configuration of the SiC detectors avoiding saturation and charge recombination effects and getting a better proportionality to the energy and fluence of the detected radiations.