A vacuum ultraviolet laser with a submicrometer spot for spatially resolved photoemission spectroscopy
Yuanhao Mao, Dong Zhao, Shen Yan, Hongjia Zhang, Juan Li, Kai Han, Xiaojun Xu, Chuan Guo, Lexian Yang, Chaofan Zhang, Kun Huang, Yulin Chen
Abstract
Abstract Vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lasers have demonstrated great potential as the light source for various spectroscopies, which, if they can be focused into a small beam spot, will not only allow investigation of mesoscopic materials and structures but also find application in the manufacture of nano-objects with excellent precision. In this work, we report the construction of a 177 nm VUV laser that can achieve a record-small (~0.76 μm) focal spot at a long focal length (~45 mm) by using a flat lens without spherical aberration. The size of the beam spot of this VUV laser was tested using a metal grating and exfoliated graphene flakes, and we demonstrated its application in a fluorescence spectroscopy study on pure and Tm 3+ -doped NaYF 4 microcrystals, revealing a new emission band that cannot be observed in the traditional up-conversion process. In addition, this laser system would be an ideal light source for spatially and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.