Vacuum discharge driven by strip line storage as a source of extreme ultraviolet radiation

This paper presents the discharge plasma based source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. The discharge circuit has been driven by means of strip line storage with working voltage 10.5 kV. The main feature of the proposed source is that plasma electrons acquire the energy, necessary for the production of multiply charged ions with ionization potentials 100–200 eV, directly under the action of the electrical field, applied to plasma column. Low level of electrodes erosion and comparatively short time of discharge (300–400 ns) make it possible to expect low level of debris. Plasma dynamics has been studied by means of simultaneous detection of EUV spectra and pinhole camera images with the usage of microchannel plate (MCP) detectors, gating time 20 ns. Spatially resolved spectra with slit resolution have demonstrated time evolution of EUV emitting zone. Four frame pinhole camera with MCP detector allowed to estimate the velocity of axial plasma expansion as (2–4) × 106 cm/s for different anode materials.