Extreme ultraviolet radiation from pulsed discharges: A new access to "nanoscopy" and "nanolytics"

Both, microscopic and analytic techniques using light (IR, VIS, UV) or X-rays reach their limits when dealing with mesoscopic or nanoscale samples. Conventional instrumentation for nanotechnology do the jobs as long as surface properties or thin layers are investigated, but lack of sufficient penetration and / or resolution when bulk properties of the samples become relevant. Using photons, only the Extreme Ultraviolet (XUV) spectral range comprising EUV, soft-X-rays, VUV offers an outstanding combination of features needed for structuring and analyzing of matter on the 10 to 1000 nm lateral and vertical scale: XUV-radiation is traditionally exploited at beamlines at large storage-ring facilities like BESSY II. The fact that the roadmap of the semiconductor industry drives the development of the basic components required, allows to disseminate EUV-technology to laboratories for nanosciences and nanotechnology