Microscopy with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation holds promise for high-resolution imaging with excellent material contrast, due to the short wavelength and numerous element-specific absorption edges available in this spectral range. At the same time, EUV radiation has significantly larger penetration depths than electrons. It thus enables a nano-scale view into complex three-dimensional structures that are important for material science, semiconductor metrology, and next-generation nano-devices. Here, we present high-resolution and material-specific microscopy at 13.5 nm wavelength. We combine a highly stable, high photon-flux, table-top EUV source with an interferometrically stabilized ptychography setup. By utilizing structured EUV illumination, we overcome the limitations of conventional EUV focusing optics and demonstrate high-resolution microscopy at a half-pitch lateral resolution of 16 nm. Moreover, we propose mixed-state orthogonal probe relaxation ptychography, enabling robust phase-contrast imaging over wide fields of view and long acquisition times. In this way, the complex transmission of an integrated circuit is precisely reconstructed, allowing for the classification of the material composition of mesoscopic semiconductor systems.

Short-wavelength radiation in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and soft x-ray spectral regions offers unique advantages for imaging. With wavelengths ranging from a few nanometers to a few tens of nanometers, these techniques enable spatial resolutions at the nanometer scale. In addition, penetration depths in solids in this spectral regime enable non-destructive imaging of internal structures of micrometer-thick objects, surpassing the capabilities of electron microscopy. Furthermore, the diverse atomic absorption edges characteristic of this spectral region enable high-contrast imaging without any staining or labeling. When combined with quantitative phase-sensitive imaging techniques, even material identification at the nanoscale becomes feasible. This article reviews some of the latest advancements in the field. It provides an overview of the available tabletop sources in this spectral region and discusses concepts and state-of-the-art results of two complementary imaging techniques: XUV ptychography and XUV coherence tomography. While XUV ptychography achieves nanoscale lateral resolution, XUV coherence tomography enables nanoscale axial resolution. Both techniques allow for the non-destructive mapping of the chemical composition of samples, facilitating localized analysis of material compositions in integrated circuits or microorganisms. The article also presents a perspective on future developments in time-resolved and 3D XUV imaging and potential future application fields.

Nanoscale coherent imaging has emerged as an indispensable modality, allowing to surpass the resolution limit given by classical imaging optics. At the same time, attosecond science has experienced enormous progress and has revealed the ultrafast dynamics in complex materials. Combining attosecond temporal resolution of pump-probe experiments with nanometer spatial resolution would allow studying ultrafast dynamics on the smallest spatio-temporal scales but has not been demonstrated yet. To date, the large bandwidth of attosecond pulses poses a major challenge to high-resolution coherent imaging. Here, we present broadband holography-enhanced coherent imaging, which enables the combination of high-resolution coherent imaging with a large spectral bandwidth. By implementing our method at a high harmonic source, we demonstrate a spatial resolution of 34 nm in combination with a spectral bandwidth of 5.5 eV at a central photon energy of 92 eV. The method is single-shot capable and retrieves the spectrum from the measured diffraction pattern.

In this Letter, we present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, single-shot method for characterizing focused coherent beams. We utilize a dedicated amplitude-only mask, in combination with an iterative phase retrieval algorithm, to reconstruct the amplitude and phase of a focused beam from a single measured far-field diffraction pattern alone. In a proof-of-principle experiment at a wavelength of 13.5 nm, we demonstrate our new method and obtain an RMS phase error of better than λ / 70 . This method will find applications in the alignment of complex optical systems, real-time feedback to adaptive optics, and single-shot beam characterization, e.g., at free-electron lasers or high-order harmonic beamlines.

We present a table-top Fourier transform holography experiment that achieved a record-high resolution of 34 nm. By employing phase retrieval techniques, the resolution was improved to 23 nm (<1.3 λ) limited by wave-guiding effects.

In recent years nanoscale coherent imaging has emerged as an indispensable imaging modality allowing to surpass the resolution limit given by classical imaging optics. At the same time, attosecond science has experienced enormous progress and has revealed the ultrafast dynamics in atoms, molecules, and complex materials. Combining attosecond temporal resolution of pump-probe experiments with nanometer spatial resolution would allow studying ultrafast dynamics on the smallest spatio-temporal scales but has not been demonstrated yet. Unfortunately, the large bandwidth of attosecond pulses usually hinders high-resolution coherent imaging. Here we present a robust holography-enhanced coherent imaging method, which allows combining high quality and high spatial resolution coherent imaging with a large spectral bandwidth. By implementing our method at a high harmonic source we demonstrate, for the first time, a spatial resolution of 34 nm (2.5 {\lambda}) in combination with a spectral bandwidth supporting a Fourier limited pulse duration of only 380 as. The method is single-shot capable, additionally retrieves the spectrum from the measured diffraction pattern, and is thus immune against shot-to-shot fluctuations. This paves the way for an ultrafast view on nanoscale dynamics e.g. ultrafast charge transfer or ultrafast spin currents being relevant for Petahertz electronics and future data storage.