High-efficiency 5000 lines/mm multilayer-coated blazed grating for extreme ultraviolet wavelengths

Area of Science:

• Optics and photonics
• Materials science
• X-ray optics

Background:

• Volume x-ray gratings with multilayer coatings on blazed substrates offer high diffraction efficiency.
• Achieving high efficiency, especially in higher diffraction orders, requires near-atomic perfection in the grating structure.
• Simultaneous satisfaction of in-plane (grating) and out-of-plane (Bragg multilayer) diffraction conditions is key.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel method for producing high-perfection volume x-ray gratings.
• To demonstrate the capability of these gratings to achieve high diffraction efficiency in high orders.
• To establish a direct route for high-efficiency soft x-ray optics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of volume x-ray gratings using a multilayer coating deposited on a blazed substrate.
• Precise control over structure to achieve near-atomic perfection.
• Characterization of diffraction efficiency under specific in-plane and out-of-plane conditions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a 5000 lines/mm grating diffracting in the third order.
• Achieved a measured diffraction efficiency of 37.6% at a wavelength of 13.6nm.
• Validated the simultaneous in-plane and out-of-plane diffraction condition for high efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The developed method enables the production of high-quality volume x-ray gratings.
• High diffraction efficiency in high orders is achievable in the soft x-ray range.
• This work provides a direct pathway to advanced soft x-ray optical components.