|
In
the original vision for SSLS, X-ray lithography for semiconductor
microelectronics manufacturing played a central role and helped
to get approval for the project in 1997.
Accordingly,
SSLS has got a compact superconducting storage ring with 700
MeV electron energy and 4.5 T bending field to produce synchrotron
radiation. The characteristic photon energy and wavelength are
1.47 keV and 0.845 nm, respectively.
The
useful spectrum extends from about 10 keV down to the Far Infrared
at wavenumbers of less than 10 cm-1. While the flux
is maximum in the soft X-ray and adjacent harder X-ray range
the roll off to harder photons is such that 10 keV may be considered
a practical limit, depending on the requirements of a specific
experiment. At the other end of the spectrum, in the FIR, the
edge effect is used, i.e., the source point is chosen at about
half of the maximum bending field in the entrance region of
one of the two superconducting dipoles and will provide high
flux and brilliance throughout the whole infrared spectral range.
Meanwhile,
the scope of activities at SSLS has become much broader as it
is heading into a strong R&D program that features micro/nanofabrication,
a variety of analytical applications, and the development of
advanced synchrotron radiation instrumentation.
Micro/nanofabrication
by means of X-ray (deep) lithography and the LIGA process is
presently aiming at biotechnology, X-ray optics, microoptics,
microfluidics, and gigascale microelectronic packaging.
The
planned analytical applications are based on X-ray absorption
and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectro/microscopy,
phase contrast imaging, photoemission spectroscopy, and include
surface, interface, and nanostructure studies, catalyst development,
speciation of elements for environmental and materials science,
characterization of molecules on surfaces and in the gas phase,
and the imaging of biological and technological systems.
Finally,
the development of advanced synchrotron radiation instrumentation
is focused on the superconductive miniundulator. Being part
of the microtron undulator radiation facility (MURF) it will
produce tunable brilliant light in the 2 to 50 eV spectral range
for surface science and nanoscale microscopy.
Besides
SSLS staff this R&D program involves local and international
groups from universities, research institutes, and industry.
|
