Cryogenic liquid-jet target for debris-free laser-plasma soft x-ray generation

A new target system based on a continuous cryogenic liquid jet for debris-free laser-plasma soft x-ray generation is described. The system is experimentally evaluated with liquid nitrogen as target material. With this target the photon flux is 4.5X10(11) photons/(srXpulse) from the lambda=2.88 nm N VI line. Brightness and stability are also investigated for this table-top soft x-ray microscope source. The possibility to utilize other cryogenic liquids such as neon, argon, and xenon and, thus, making the system interesting for short-wavelength lithography applications, is also discussed. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(98)02506-4].