Nanofabrication of Optical Elements for SXR and EUV Applications: Ion Beam Lithography as a New Approach

Diffractive optical elements are important components for applications in soft x-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation. At present, the standard fabrication method for such optics is based on electron beam lithography followed by nanostructuring. This requires a series of complex processes including exposure, reactive ion-etching, and electro-plating. We report on experiments showing the single-step fabrication of such elements using ion beam lithography. Both transmission and reflection gratings were fabricated and successfully implemented as spectrometers at laboratory soft x-ray sources. Additionally, first steps toward zone plate fabrication are described.