Experimental model of industrial x-ray source MSX-1 with a vacuum spark for x-ray lithography

A prototype of an industrial x-ray source based on low-inductance vacuum sp ark discharge was designed and tested at the P.N. Lebedev Institute of Phys ics in cooperation with the Institute of Precise Machinery (Zelenograd, Mos cow region). The micropinch (hot-spot) formation effect in the discharge (m aximum current of 120 kA, current rise time of 0.6 mus) was used to achieve the high-density (similar to 10(22) cm(-3)), high-temperature (similar to1 keV) metallic plasma in a local (40X200 mum) area. This plasma emits a sho rt burst (similar to3-10 ns) of x-ray line radiation corresponding to the t ransitions of L-shell electrons in the ionized atoms, with an efficiency ap proximate to1% with respect to the stored bank energy (500 J). The repetiti on rate of the source can be set from 1 to 10 Hz. Applicability of the sour ce to x-ray lithography is studied, and effective size of emitting area (de viation of micropinch position from shot to shot) together with x-ray yield jitter are discussed. The engineering problems of power supply and vacuum pumping, as well as x-ray source reproducibility, optimal operation mode, a nd operation life are also considered. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.