Estimation of electron temperature and density of the decay plasma in a laser-assisted discharge plasma extreme ultraviolet source by using a modified Stark broadening method
In order to investigate the plasma expansion behaviors and the electrical recovery process after the maximum implosion in our tin fueled laser-assisted discharge plasma (LDP) 13.5 nm EUV source, we developed and evaluated a cost-efficient spectroscopic method to determine the electron temperature T{sub e} and density n{sub e} simultaneously, by using Stark broadenings of two Sn II isolated lines (5s{sup 2}4f{sup 2}F{sup o}{sub 5/2} - 5s{sup 2}5d{sup 2}D{sub 3/2} 558.9 nm and 5s{sup 2}6d{sup 2}D{sub 5/2} - 5s{sup 2}6p{sup 2}P{sup o}{sub 3/2} 556.2 nm) spontaneously emitted from the plasma. The spatial-resolved evolutions of T{sub e} and n{sub e} of the expansion plasma over 50 to 900 ns after the maximum implosion were obtained using this modified Stark broadening method. According to the different n{sub e} decay characteristics along the Z-pinch axis, the expansion velocity of the electrons was estimated as {approx}1.2 x 10{sup 4} ms{sup -1} from the plasma shell between the electrodes towards the cathode and the anode. The decay time constant of n{sub e} was measured as 183 {+-} 24 ns. Based on the theories of plasma adiabatic expansion and electron-impact ionization, the minimum time-span that electrical recovery between the electrodes needs in order to guarantee the next succeeding regular EUV-emitting discharge was estimated to be 70.5 {mu}s. Therefore, the maximum repetition rate of our LDP EUV source is {approx}14 kHz, which enables the output to reach 125 W/(2{pi}sr).