XUV Spectroscopy of the Interaction of Laser-produced Plasma with Solid Surfaces

Processes of interaction of dense, laser produced plasma (LPP) with solid surfaces represent an effective tool for controlled studies of various aspects of plasma-wall interaction, for instance simulating transient events in fusion reactors or EUV light sources and source exposed materials. A wide range of parameters can be explored by changing laser power, target and/or wall material, or target-wall distances. XUV and VUV radiation emitted during this interaction allows the usage of well-established in-situ diagnostics (X-ray and XUV spectroscopy) to quantify and control the interaction.
In the current work, intense XUV radiation was observed during interaction of low temperature LPPs and wall materials [1]. LPPs created on solid targets (CF2 and Al) by a KrF laser were colliding with a solid wall placed on various distances from the target. The spectral and spatial structure of XUV radiation were studied by means of analyzing XUV spectra of F and Al ions.. At large plasma-wall distances three body recombination was identified as the dominating process responsible for ionic level population and radiation. The experiments demonstrated an effective way to create low temperature (Te~1-10 eV) plasmas interacting with the solid surfaces and to study the root causes of materials damage.