Laser target using continuous supersonic jet in vacuum

Abstract

For an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source, Sn plasmas, which can produce a strong radiation with high conversion efficiency at 13.5 nm, attract attention. The purpose of this study is to establish technology to form and recover a tin vapor supersonic jet in vacuum and to make clear the interaction between the supersonic free jet and an incident laser. In order to make the tin vapor, a tantalum crucible is inductively heated up and the radiation loss is compared with the input energy. We observe the shock waves in argon jet emitted from a supersonic nozzle by a Schlieren image. In the future, we will increase the number of shields and heat the tantalum crucible to the boiling point of tin. We are planning to make a study on the interaction process between laser and the free jet.