Extending the Reach of Extreme Ultraviolet Instruments: A New Method for Measuring the Refractive Index of Materials

Catherine Burcklen | 20-FS-026

Executive Summary

We will study the feasibility of using a new analytical technique that uses multiple reflections inside freestanding films to determine the refractive index of thin-film materials in the 20 to 90 nanometer wavelength region. It will enable the design and implementation of ultraviolet instruments operating in a previously inaccessible region of the spectrum, a breakthrough with both fundamental (i.e., atomic and molecular physics) and practical (i.e., instrumentation for plasma and solar physics, synchrotrons, lasers, and semiconductor photolithography) applications.