The wavelength range of Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) radiation sources usually refers to a portion of the wavelength in the extreme ultraviolet spectrum, specifically ranging from 10 to 121 nanometers, which is shorter than the traditional ultraviolet (UV-A, UV-B, UV-C) spectrum of ultraviolet radiation.
Band division of ultra short wave ultraviolet radiation:
Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV): Its wavelength range is generally defined as 10nm to 121nm, located in the shortest wavelength part of the ultraviolet spectrum, lower than the traditional ultraviolet C-band (200nm to 280nm) and longer than the wavelength of X-rays.
The relationship with X-rays: EUV radiation has a longer wavelength than X-rays, but shorter than the ultraviolet C-band, so it is sometimes considered a "transitional" radiation located between ultraviolet and X-rays.
Characteristics of EUV:
High energy: EUV radiation has high energy and can penetrate many materials, but it is usually quickly absorbed by air and other substances, so natural EUV radiation hardly occurs on the Earth's surface.
Application areas: Due to its short wavelength and high energy, EUV light sources are widely used in photolithography technology in modern semiconductor manufacturing, for manufacturing extremely small integrated circuits (such as 7nm and 5nm processes). In addition, EUV is also used in astronomy, materials science, and certain medical applications.
Types of EUV light sources:
Due to the extremely short wavelength of EUV, traditional light sources are unable to directly generate ultraviolet light of such a wavelength. The existing EUV light sources mainly adopt the following technologies:
Free Electron Laser (FEL): The radiation generated by accelerating electrons in a magnetic field is used to generate EUV wavelengths.
Plasma light source: emits EUV radiation by irradiating certain substances (such as tin) with high-energy laser to produce plasma.
Application:
Semiconductor Manufacturing: EUV technology is currently an important tool for manufacturing advanced semiconductor chips, especially in extremely small lithography processes such as 10nm, 7nm, and even smaller process nodes.
Astronomy: EUV band is very important for studying high-temperature objects (such as the sun, galaxies, etc.) and their radiation characteristics.
Materials Science: Used to analyze the surface structure and composition of materials, especially in the field of nanotechnology.
Overall, Extreme Short Wave Ultraviolet (EUV) is an important radiation band between ultraviolet and X-ray, with high energy and playing a crucial role in multiple high-tech fields.