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Subwavelength coherent imaging of periodic samples using a 13.5 nm tabletop high-harmonic light source

Abstract

Coherent diffractive imaging is unique, being the only route for achieving high spatial resolution in the extreme ultraviolet and X-ray regions, limited only by the wavelength of the light. Recently, advances in coherent short-wavelength light sources, coupled with progress in algorithm development, have significantly enhanced the power of X-ray imaging. However, so far, high-fidelity diffraction imaging of periodic objects has been a challenge because the scattered light is concentrated in isolated peaks. Here, we use tabletop 13.5 nm high-harmonic beams to make two significant advances. First, we demonstrate high-quality imaging of an extended, nearly periodic sample for the first time. Second, we achieve subwavelength spatial resolution (12.6 nm) imaging at short wavelengths, also for the first time. The key to both advances is a novel technique called ‘modulus enforced probe’, which enables robust and quantitative reconstructions of periodic objects. This work is important for imaging next-generation nano-engineered devices.

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Figure 1: MEP X-ray microscopy with 13.5 nm EUV light from a tabletop high-harmonic source.
Figure 2: Schematic layout of the MEP constraint within the ptychography algorithm.
Figure 3: Record 0.9λ subwavelength-resolution full-field imaging using 13.5 nm light and MEP.
Figure 4: Zone plate lineout and height map.
Figure 5: Minimization of artefacts in the reconstructed illumination with probe enforcement.

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Acknowledgements

M.M.M. and H.C.K. acknowledge support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency PULSE programme (DARPA-BAA-12-63-FP-004), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Experimental Investigator programme in Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (grant no. GBMF4538) and the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers (NSF STROBE, grant no. NSF DMR-1548924). D.F.G., C.L.P., C.B. and R.K. acknowledge Graduate Fellowship support from the Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program. X.Z., D.E.A., M.M.M. and H.C.K. acknowledge the Department of Energy STTR/SBIR phase IIB Grant (grant no. DE-SC0006514).

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Authors and Affiliations

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Contributions

H.C.K. and M.M.M. conceived of the experiment. All authors designed aspects of the experiment, performed the research and wrote the paper. D.F.G. and G.F.M. characterized the source and collected the data sets. D.F.G. performed the reconstructions and data analysis. G.F.M. carried out the SEM imaging of the zone plate. D.E.A., D.F.G. and M.T. performed the probe enforcement simulations. X.Z., H.C.K., M.M.M. and B.R.G. designed the HHG source.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis F. Gardner.

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Competing interests

E.R.S., C.L.P., M.T., D.F.G., D.E.A., G.F.M., M.M.M. and H.C.K. have submitted a patent disclosure based on this work. M.M.M. and H.C.K. are partial owners of Kapteyn-Murnane Laboratories Inc. who manufactured the ultrafast laser and EUV source.

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Gardner, D., Tanksalvala, M., Shanblatt, E. et al. Subwavelength coherent imaging of periodic samples using a 13.5 nm tabletop high-harmonic light source. Nature Photon 11, 259–263 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2017.33

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