Extreme ultraviolet source at 6.7 nm based on a low-density plasma

We demonstrate an efficient extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source for operation at lambda = 6.7 nm by optimizing the optical thickness of gadolinium (Gd) plasmas. Using low initial density Gd targets and dual laser pulse irradiation, we observed a maximum EUV conversion efficiency (CE) of 0.54% for 0.6% bandwidth (BW) (1.8% for 2% BW), which is 1.6 times larger than the 0.33% (0.6% BW) CE produced from a solid density target. Enhancement of the EUV CE by use of a low-density plasma is attributed to the reduction of self-absorption effects. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3660275]