| PHYSICS OF GASES, PLASMAS, AND ELECTRIC DISCHARGES |
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Spatiotemporal pulse-shaping effects on 4-μm laser-driven Sn microdroplet plasmas for extreme ultraviolet emission |
| Qi Min(敏琦)1,2,†, Chunbo Miao(苗春波)1, Hongyu Liu(刘宏宇)1, Xingbang Liu(刘兴邦)1, Haidong Lu(卢海东)1, Maogen Su(苏茂根)1,2,‡, and Chenzhong Dong(董晨钟)1,2,§ |
1 Key Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Physics & Functional Material of Gansu Province, College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
2 Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Laser Plasma Spectroscopy, Lanzhou 730070, China |
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Abstract Drive lasers near the 4-μm wavelength offer a fundamental thermodynamic advantage for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography by optimally balancing laser absorption and in-band EUV opacity. Using radiation-hydrodynamics simulations, we investigate spatiotemporal pulse-shaping effects on 4-μm-driven Sn microdroplet plasmas under an industrially relevant overfill geometry. An energy-conserved full-factorial strategy evaluates the independent influences of pulse duration, temporal envelope, and transverse spatial profile. Results reveal that temporal and spatial shaping govern distinct physical processes. Temporally, box-shaped profiles establish a quasi-steady-state hydrodynamic regime that sustains optimal ionization, preventing the severe over-ionization of high-peak Gaussian pulses and the under-heating of extended low-power pulses. Spatially, although transverse intensity variations negligibly impact macroscopic energy absorption, angular emission analyses demonstrate that flat-top beams uniformly ablate the target periphery. This suppresses the optically thick peripheral plasma shroud inherent to Gaussian beams, thereby minimizing angle-dependent self-absorption and enhancing isotropic EUV photon escape. Ultimately, combining a 15-ns box-shaped temporal envelope with a spatial flat-top profile achieves a maximum conversion efficiency of 3.35%. Thus, optimizing EUV emission requires utilizing temporal shaping to sustain intrinsic emissivity and spatial flattening to minimize radiation transport losses.
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Received: 03 April 2026
Revised: 08 May 2026
Accepted manuscript online: 29 May 2026
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PACS:
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52.50.Dg
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(Plasma sources)
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52.20.-j
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(Elementary processes in plasmas)
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52.25.-b
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(Plasma properties)
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52.25.Os
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(Emission, absorption, and scattering of electromagnetic radiation ?)
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52.65.-y
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(Plasma simulation)
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| Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 12474279 and 12374384), Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu Province (Grant No. 26JRRA016), Provincial-level Youth Talent Individual Project of Gansu Province (Grant No. 2025QNGR15), and Youth Science and Technology Talent Innovation Project of Lanzhou City (Grant No. 2024-QN- 200). |
Corresponding Authors:
Qi Min, Maogen Su, Chenzhong Dong
E-mail: mq_lpps@nwnu.edu.cn;sumg@nwnu.edu.cn;dongcz@nwnu.edu.cn
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Cite this article:
Qi Min(敏琦), Chunbo Miao(苗春波), Hongyu Liu(刘宏宇), Xingbang Liu(刘兴邦), Haidong Lu(卢海东), Maogen Su(苏茂根), and Chenzhong Dong(董晨钟) Spatiotemporal pulse-shaping effects on 4-μm laser-driven Sn microdroplet plasmas for extreme ultraviolet emission 2026 Chin. Phys. B 35 075203
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