Recovery of Multilayer-Coated Zerodur and ULE Optics for Extreme-Ultraviolet Lithography by Recoating, Reactive-Ion Etching, and Wet-Chemical Processes.

Extreme-ultraviolet lithography requires expensive multilayer-coated Zerodur or ULE optics with extremely tight figure and finish specifications. Therefore it is desirable to develop methods to recover these optics if they are coated with a nonoptimum multilayer films or in the event that the coating deteriorates over time owing to long-term exposure to radiation, corrosion, or surface contamination. We evaluate recoating, reactive-ion etching, and wet-chemical techniques for the recovery of Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer films upon Zerodur and ULE test optics. The recoating technique was successfully employed in the recovery of Mo/Si-coated optics but has the drawback of limited applicability. A chlorine-based reactive-ion etch process was successfully used to recover Mo/Si-coated optics, and a particularly large process window was observed when ULE optics were employed; this is an advantageous for large, curved optics. Dilute HCl wet-chemical techniques were developed and successfully demonstrated for the recovery of Mo/Be-coated optics as well as for Mo/Si-coated optics when Mo/Be release layers were employed; however, there are questions about the extendability of the HCl process to large optics and multiple coat and strip cycles. The technique of using carbon barrier layers to protect the optic during removal of Mo/Si in HF:HNO(3) also showed promise.

Advanced laser-backlit Grazing-Incidence X-Ray Imaging Systems for Inertial Confinement Fusion Research. II. Tolerance Analysis.

Two example ultrahigh-spatial-resolution laser-backlit grazing-incidence x-ray microscope designs for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research have been described [Appl. Opt. 40, 4570 (2001)]. Here details of fabrication, assembly, and optical surface errors that are characteristic of present state-of-the-art superpolished multilayer-coated spherical mirrors are given. They indicate that good image qualities can be expected; in particular, <0.5-mum spatial resolution at very high x-ray energies (up to 25 keV) appears to be feasible: Existing ICF imaging diagnostics approach ~2 mum spatial at low (<2 keV) energy. The improvement in resolution compared with that of other grazing-incidence devices is attributed to a fortuitous residual on-axis aberration dependence on short wavelengths; recent advances in mirror fabrication, including a new thin-film deposition technique to correct figure errors precisely in one dimension; and novel design. For even higher resolutions, a means of creating precise aspherical mirrors of spheric-quality microroughness may be possible by use of the same deposition technique.

Elderly Black widows in rural Zimbabwe.

This study describes the effects of rapid social change and the breakdown of traditional life and family support systems on Black rural widows of Zimbabwe. It examines women's perceptions of their lives before and after widowhood and identifies conditions which are related to changes in economic position, status, self-concept, life styles and social relationships. These changes have created an increasing number of socially and economically destitute elderly widows and contributed to the feminization of poverty. This has profound implications for social policy in developing countries with limited resources.