Ultrafast and ultrasmall - Semiconductor inspection driven by attosecond light sources

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized pioneering work in attosecond science and the generation of ultrashort light pulses for probing electron dynamics in matter. In this talk, we will explore how the concepts and tools of ultrafast and strong-field physics can be applied to the characterization of modern semiconductor structures.

We will discuss how the interaction of intense laser fields with matter provides access to coherent radiation in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectral range. The main focus, however, will be on how the short wavelength, high spatial coherence, and ultrashort duration of EUV radiation enable advanced imaging and diagnostic techniques for nanoscale structures.

We will examine coherent EUV imaging and scattering methods that provide access to structural information well below the resolution limits of conventional optical microscopy. We will discuss how diffraction patterns encode the morphology and material properties of semiconductor structures, how computational imaging techniques can reconstruct real-space information from coherent scattering data, and how these approaches can contribute to the inspection and metrology of increasingly complex semiconductor devices.

Finally, we will highlight how the combination of short wavelengths, coherent imaging, and ultrafast time resolution opens new opportunities for probing both the static structure and the dynamical response of semiconductor materials and nanoscale devices.