Abstract
A vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light source based on a high-pressure cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been developed. Intense and spectrally clean Lyman-α line at 121.6 nm was obtained by operating a DBD discharge in neon with a small admixture of hydrogen. The spectrum, optical power, stability, and efficiency of the source were measured. The influence of the gas mixture and total gas pressure on the VUV intensity has been investigated. Maximum optical power of 3.2 W and spectral width <0.03 nm was achieved. Power stability of ±2% for 100 h of operation has also been obtained. The newly developed Lyman-α line source at 121.6 nm appears very promising for advanced lithography and other applications.