Fabrication of Low-Density Solid Xenon as Laser-Produced Plasma Extreme Ultraviolet Source

Abstract

A low-density solid xenon (Xe) target has been developed as laser-produced plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. Xe gas was cooled to below the condensation temperature, and liquid Xe was sprayed from a swirl atomizer into a low-pressure atmosphere. Microparticles of liquid Xe were rapidly cooled by their own latent heat of evaporation, and became a solid micrometer-sized powder. The most frequent particle diameter under an atomizing pressure of 0.3 MPa was 114 µm, and the apparent density was 0.2 g/cm3, 1/13 of the density of conventional solid Xe. The apparent production rate of the powder was 2.2 cm3/s.