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At least 217 records · Page 12

Initial Stage of Nanoscale Imaging in Positive Tone Extreme UV Photoresists: The Influence of the Polymer Sequence

Photolithographic patterning using extreme ultraviolet (EUV, 92.5 eV) light is a radiolytic process that initially forms electrons, radical cations, anions, and neutral radicals in the polymeric photoresist matrix. These species may participate in the chemical reactions that define the ultimate resolution of the printed image, and their concentrations and nanometer-scale stochastic variations in their formation influence printed image quality. Proposals have been made that polymer chain uniformity may be advantageous in reducing stochastics due to spatial inhomogeneities, and this aspect of radiolysis is examined in this work. We have simulated the initial subpicosecond stages of the imaging process for a series of photoresist films that are identical in composition but vary in their polymer chain structures. We use detailed, physically accurate stochastic reaction-diffusion calculations to evaluate the influence of defined sequence and random copolymer structures on radiolytic spur formation, i.e., a cluster of species formed by electron-polymer interactions that defines the initial spatial characteristic of the imaging process. Predictions of electron thermalization in the present work are shown to be consistent with the literature, indicating that our overall computational approach for ultrafast nanoscale processes is sound. The computational results show that the polymer sequence has no significant effect on the spur composition. This suggests that any potential imaging improvements to be gained by sequence control must originate from postimaging lithographic process steps.

Absorption↗

Ultrafast structural dynamics of UV photoexcited cis , cis -1,3-cyclooctadiene observed with time-resolved electron diffraction

Conjugated diene molecules are highly reactive upon photoexcitation and can relax through multiple reaction channels that depend on the position of the double bonds and the degree of molecular rigidity. Understanding the photoinduced dynamics of these molecules is crucial for establishing general rules governing the relaxation and product formation. Here, in this study, we investigate the femtosecond time-resolved photoinduced excited-state structural dynamics of cis,cis-1,3-cyclooctadiene, a large-flexible cyclic conjugated diene molecule, upon excitation with 200 nm using mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction and trajectory surface hopping dynamics simulations. We tracked the photoinduced structural changes from the Franck–Condon region through the conical intersection seam to the ground state. Our findings revealed a novel primary reaction coordinate involving ring distortion, where the ring stretches along one axis and compresses along the perpendicular axis. The nuclear wavepacket remains compact along this reaction coordinate until it reaches the conical intersection seam, and it rapidly spreads as it approaches the ground state, where multiple products are formed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The WISSH quasars project: X. Discovery of a multi-component and highly variable UV ultra-fast outflow in a z = 3.6 quasar

We report on the variability of a multi-component broad absorption line (BAL) system observed in the hyper-luminous quasar J1538+0855 at z = 3.6. Observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Very Large Telescope (VLT), Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), and Subaru telescope taken at five different epochs, spanning 17 yr in the observed frame, are presented. We detect three (A, B, and C) CIV variable troughs exhibiting extreme velocities (~40 000–54 000 km s –1 ) similar to the ultra-fast outflows (UFOs) typically observed in the X-ray spectra. The A component of the BAL UFO (v ufo ~ 0.17c) shows strength variations, while B (v ufo ~ 0.15c) and C (v ufo ~ 0.13c) components show changes both in shape and strength, appearing and disappearing at different epochs. In addition, during the last observation on June 2021, the entire BAL system disappeared. The variability trends observed during the first two epochs (1.30 yr rest frame) in the CIV, SiIV, OVI, and NV absorption spectral regions are the same for B and C troughs, while the A component of the BAL varies independently.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

O Corona, where art thou? eROSITA’s view of UV-optical-IR variability-selected massive black holes in low-mass galaxies

Finding massive black holes (MBHs,M BH ≈ 10 4 –10 7 M ⊙ ) in the nuclei of low-mass galaxies $\left( {{M_*}\mathop {\mathop < \limits_ }\limits_ {{10}^{10}}{M_ \odot }} \right)$ is crucial to constrain seeding and growth of black holes over cosmic time, but it is particularly challenging due to their low accretion luminosities. Variability selection via long-term photometric ultraviolet, optical, or infrared (UVOIR) light curves has proved effective and identifies lower-Eddington ratios compared to broad and narrow optical spectral lines searches. In the inefficient accretion regime, X-ray and radio searches are effective, but they have been limited to small samples. Therefore, differences between selection techniques have remained uncertain. Here, we present the first large systematic investigation of the X-ray properties of a sample of known MBH candidates in dwarf galaxies. We extracted X-ray photometry and spectra of a sample of ~200 UVOIR variability-selected MBHs and significantly detected 17 of them in the deepest available SRG/eROSITA image, of which four are newly discovered X-ray sources and two are new secure MBHs. This implies that tens to hundreds of LSST MBHs will have SRG/eROSITA counterparts, depending on the seeding model adopted. Surprisingly, the stacked X-ray images of the many non-detected MBHs are incompatible with standard disk-corona relations, typical of active galactic nuclei, inferred from both the optical and radio fluxes. They are instead compatible with the X-ray emission predicted for normal galaxies. After careful consideration of potential biases, we identified that this X-ray weakness needs a physical origin. A possibility is that a canonical X-ray corona might be lacking in the majority of this population of UVOIR-variability selected low-mass galaxies or that unusual accretion modes and spectral energy distributions are in place for MBHs in dwarf galaxies. This result reveals the potential for severe biases in occupation fractions derived from data from only one waveband combined with SEDs and scaling relations of more massive black holes and galaxies.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Photonic integration for UV to IR applications

Photonic integration opens the potential to reduce size, power, and cost of applications normally relegated to table- and rack-sized systems. Today, a wide range of precision, high-end, ultra-sensitive, communication and computation, and measurement and scientific applications, including atomic clocks, quantum communications, processing, and high resolution spectroscopy, are ready to make the leap from the lab to the chip. However, many of these applications operate at wavelengths not accessible to the silicon on insulator-based silicon photonics integration platform due to absorption, power handling, unwanted nonlinearities, and other factors. Next generation photonic integration will require ultra-wideband photonic circuit platforms that scale from the ultraviolet to the infrared and that offer a rich set of linear and nonlinear circuit functions as well as low loss and high power handling capabilities. This article provides an assessment of the field in ultra-wideband photonic waveguides to bring power efficient, ultra-high performance systems to the chip-scale and enable compact transformative precision measurement, signal processing, computation, and communication techniques.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Optically pumped deep-UV multimode lasing in AlGaN double heterostructure grown by molecular beam homoepitaxy

Multimode lasing at sub-300 nm wavelengths is demonstrated by optical pumping in AlGaN heterostructures grown on single-crystal AlN substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Edge-emitting ridge-based Fabry–Pérot cavities are fabricated with the epitaxial AlN/AlGaN double heterostructure by a combined inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etch and tetramethylammonium hydroxide etch. The emitters exhibit peak gain at 284 nm and modal linewidths on the order of 0.1 nm at room temperature. The applied growth technique and its chemical and heterostructural design characteristics offer certain unique capabilities toward further development of electrically injected AlGaN laser diodes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reflectance and fluorescence characteristics of PTFE coated with TPB at visible, UV, and VUV as a function of thickness

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent diffuse reflector widely used in light collection systems for particle physics experiments. In noble element systems, it is often coated with tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) to allow detection of vacuum ultraviolet scintillation light. Here, in this work this dependence is investigated for PTFE coated with TPB in air for light of wavelengths of 200 nm, 260 nm, and 450 nm. The results show that TPB-coated PTFE has a reflectance of approximately 92% for thicknesses ranging from 5 mm to 10 mm at 450 nm, with negligible variation as a function of thickness within this range. A cross-check of these results using an argon chamber supports the conclusion that the change in thickness from 5 mm to 10 mm does not affect significantly the light response at 128 nm. Our results indicate that pieces of TPB-coated PTFE thinner than the typical 10 mm can be used in particle physics detectors without compromising the light signal.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Quaternary MgSiN 2 -GaN alloy semiconductors for deep UV applications

Ultrawide direct band gap semiconductors hold great promise for deep ultraviolet optoelectronic applications. Here we evaluate the potential of MgSiN 2 -GaN alloys for this purpose. Although MgSiN 2 itself has an indirect gap ~0.4 eV below its direct gap of ~6.5 eV, its different sign lattice mismatch from GaN in two different basal plane directions could avoid the tensile strain which limits Al x Ga 1–x N on GaN for high x. Two octet-rule-preserving structures (with space groups Pmn2 1 and P1n1) of a 50% alloy of MgSiN 2 and GaN are investigated and are both found to have gaps larger than 4.75 eV using quasiparticle self-consistent GW calculations. Both are nearly direct gap in the sense that the indirect gap is less than 0.1 eV lower than the direct gap. Furthermore, their mixing energies are positive yet small, with values of 8 (31) meV/atom for Pmn2 1 (P1n1), indicating only a small driving force toward phase separation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗