The Research Angle NSF ERC for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology: Exploring the Frontiers of Light
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The understanding, generation and control of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light resulting from the invention of the laser have greatly benefited society. One region of the electromagnetic spectrum, however, has remained relatively unexploited: the "extreme ultraviolet" (EUV) corresponds to wavelengths 10-100 times shorter than visible light. Its short wavelength makes it possible to "see" smaller features and "write" smaller patterns, and is well matched to the primary atomic resonances of most elements, making possible the development of new materials analysis tools.
As the size of the most advance electronics circuits and nanoscale machines continues to shrink below the wavelength of visible light, the ability to control and utilize EUV light is becoming critical to science and technology and to the nation's economy. In response to this challenge and opportunity, in October 2003 the National Science Foundation established the Engineering Research Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology, with the goal of making intense EUV light widely available for applications.
A goal of the Center, led by Colorado State with core partners at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of California at Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is to make intense EUV light widely available to solve challenging scientific and industrial problems. In the process, the Center is working to accomplish other important goals, including the education of a diverse group of engineers and scientists expert on EUV, and the increased participation of under-represented students in science and engineering.
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Combining the expertise in compact EUV source development at the two Colorado universities with the expertise in EUV optics and methodologies at Berkeley, the Center has achieved important breakthroughs. These include the demonstration of compact EUV lasers and "laser-like" sources with record average power (in some cases as compact as a desk-top computer), the implementation of new table-top microscopes with resolution superior to any compact light-based microscope, and the demonstration of new EUV spectroscopy tools for the study of materials structure and dynamics, some of them with femtosecond temporal resolution.