A method of making a mirror for use with extreme ultraviolet or x-ray radiation includes: i) providing a base substrate having a curved surface, wherein the curved surface deviates from a curvature of a target mirror surface at high spatial frequencies corresponding to spatial periods less than 2 mm; and ii) securing a first side of a thin plate to the curved surface of the base substrate to cover the curved surface, wherein the plate has a thickness thin enough to conform to the curvature of the target mirror surface and thick enough to attenuate deviations at the high spatial frequencies on a second side of the thin plate opposite the first side that are caused by the deviations on the curved surface of the base substrate. A mirror made by the method is also disclosed.

The invention discloses an optical system for generating arbitrary-order optical vortex arrays and finite optical lattices with defects, comprising a laser, a collimating and beam-expanding system, a spatial light modulator, a 4-f lens system, and an image detector which are disposed according to a light path. After passing through the collimating and beam-expanding system, the linearly-polarized Gaussian beam emitted by the laser is radiated to the spatial light modulator to be modulated in complex amplitude; the first-order diffraction beam of the emergent light generates an arbitrary-order alternating optical vortex array on the back focal plane of the first 2-f lens system, and an adjustable finite optical lattice with defects on the back focal plane of the second 2-f lens system. The topological charge value of each vortex and the spacing between vortices, in the generated arbitrary-order alternating optical vortex array, can be precisely controlled.

The invention discloses an optical system for generating arbitrary-order optical vortex arrays and finite optical lattices with defects, comprising a laser, a collimating and beam-expanding system, a spatial light modulator, a 4-f lens system, and an image detector which are disposed according to a light path. After passing through the collimating and beam-expanding system, the linearly-polarized Gaussian beam emitted by the laser is radiated to the spatial light modulator to be modulated in complex amplitude; the first-order diffraction beam of the emergent light generates an arbitrary-order alternating optical vortex array on the back focal plane of the first 2-f lens system, and an adjustable finite optical lattice with defects on the back focal plane of the second 2-f lens system. The topological charge value of each vortex and the spacing between vortices, in the generated arbitrary-order alternating optical vortex array, can be precisely controlled.

Disclosed herein is an x-ray interferometer for x-ray phase contrast imaging including an x-ray source, an x-ray source grating, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. An alternative interferometer includes a periodically structured x-ray source, two x-ray phase gratings, an x-ray analyzer grating and an x-ray detector. The phase gratings are placed much closer to the x-ray detector than to the x-ray source and the image object is positioned upstream and close to the phase gratings to achieve high sensitivity and large field-of-view simultaneously.

A loading assembly configured for providing atomic objects to an atomic object confinement apparatus is provided. The loading assembly comprises one or more ovens. Each oven (a) comprises a respective oven nozzle and (b) is configured to generate a respective atomic flux of a respective atomic species via the respective oven nozzle. The loading assembly comprises a mirror array and a magnet array configured to, when optical beams are provided to the mirror and magnet assembly, generate a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT). The 2D MOT is configured to generate a substantially collimated atomic beam from the respective atomic fluxes generated by the one or more ovens. The loading assembly further comprises a differential pumping tube defining a beam path. The differential pumping tube is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam via the beam path. The respective oven nozzle of each of the one or more ovens is misaligned with the beam path and the 2D MOT is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam in alignment with the beam path.

A loading assembly configured for providing atomic objects to an atomic object confinement apparatus is provided. The loading assembly comprises one or more ovens. Each oven (a) comprises a respective oven nozzle and (b) is configured to generate a respective atomic flux of a respective atomic species via the respective oven nozzle. The loading assembly comprises a mirror array and a magnet array configured to, when optical beams are provided to the mirror and magnet assembly, generate a two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (2D MOT). The 2D MOT is configured to generate a substantially collimated atomic beam from the respective atomic fluxes generated by the one or more ovens. The loading assembly further comprises a differential pumping tube defining a beam path. The differential pumping tube is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam via the beam path. The respective oven nozzle of each of the one or more ovens is misaligned with the beam path and the 2D MOT is configured to provide the substantially collimated atomic beam in alignment with the beam path.

The invention relates to an X-ray source (10) comprising at least one waveguide (30) for X-ray radiation, wherein the at least one waveguide (30) has a core (32) and a casing (40) surrounding the core (32), and wherein at least one part of the waveguide (30) is designed to emit X-ray radiation (50), if the part of the waveguide (30) is bombarded with electrons (52). The invention also relates to a system for generating X-ray radiation comprising an X-ray source of this type, and a method for generating X-ray radiation by means of an X-ray source of this type or a system of this type.

Improvements to atom interferometers. An improved atom interferometer has a single polarization-preserving fiber, coupled for propagation of beams of two Raman frequencies, and a parallel displacement beamsplitter for separating the laser beams into respective free-space-propagating parallel beams traversing at least one ensemble of atoms. A reflector generates one or more beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms. Other improvements include interposing a beam-splitting surface common to a plurality of parallel pairs of beams counterpropagating through the ensemble of atoms, generating interference fringes between reflections of the beams to generate a detector signal; and processing the detector signal to derive at least one of relative phase and relative alignment between respective pairs of the counterpropagating beams.

An illumination system for an EUV projection lithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises an EUV light source, which generates an output beam of EUV illumination light with a predetermined polarization state. An illumination optical unit guides the output beam along an optical axis, as a result of which an illumination field in a reticle plane is illuminated by the output beam. The light source comprises an electron beam supply device, an EUV generating device and a polarization setting device. The EUV generating device is supplied with an electron beam by the electron beam supply device. The polarization setting device exerts an adjustable deflecting effect on the electron beam for setting the polarization of the output beam. This results in an illumination system, which operates on the basis of an electron beam-based EUV light source and provides an output beam, which is improved for a resolution-optimized illumination.

A multilayer mirror (M) reflecting extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation from a first wavelength range in an EUV spectral region includes a substrate (SUB) and a stack of layers (SL). The stack of layers has layers having a low index material and layers having a high index material. The low index material has a lower real part of the refractive index than does the high index material at a given operating wavelength in the first wavelength range. The stack of layers also includes a spectral purity filter on the stack of layers. The spectral purity filter is effective as an anti-reflection layer for ultraviolet (UV) radiation from a second wavelength range in a UV spectral region to increase an EUV-UV-reflectivity ratio of the multilayer mirror. The spectral purity filter (SPF) includes a non-diffractive graded-index anti-reflection layer (GI-AR) effective to reduce reflectivity in the second wavelength range.