Jonathan B Workman

US Patent:

56065884, Feb 25, 1997

Filed:

Jul 28, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/508482

Inventors:

Donald Umstadter - Ann Arbor MI
Jonathan Workman - Ann Arbor MI
Anatoly Maksimchuk - Ann Arbor MI
Xinbing Liu - Ann Arbor MI

Assignee:

The Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI

International Classification:

H01J 3522

US Classification:

378119

Abstract:

The present invention provides a system and an apparatus to produce x-rays from plasmas by focusing an intense, short duration optical pulse from a laser onto a target. The concentrated energy contained in the focused laser beam ionizes the target material, raising it to a temperature at which ions are produced in a chain reaction ionization, and x-rays are emitted when ions become de-excited (their electrons change energy level) or free electrons recombine with the ions in the plasma. The method comprises controlling pulse time duration of x-rays emitted from a plasma-forming target by generating a beam of one or more laser pulses; adjusting the intensity of the laser pulse to obtain a desired intensity incident at a surface of the plasma-forming target matter; directing the laser pulse onto the surface of the plasma-forming matter to generate the x-rays having a pulse duration which changes in proportion to a change in the incident laser pulse intensity. In one embodiment, the x-rays are then directed onto a sample target.