We plan to develop new EUV multilayer coatings that provide higher normal-incidence reflectance, better control of spectral bandpass (using aperiodic coating designs) for improved narrow-band…

This federal contract award to Reflective X-Ray Optics, LLC, a for-profit limited liability company, was issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center. The $99,402.00 grant contract is for the development of new extreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer coatings that will provide higher normal-incidence reflectance, better control of spectral bandpass, improved stability and resistance to harsh environments, and lower film stress. These advancements are intended to qualify the use of the new coatings in future NASA missions. The contract has no set-aside designation and is focused on experimental research to raise the technology readiness level of the new coating materials to TRL 4 or 5. Reflective X-Ray Optics has previously received other federal awards from NASA for the development of multilayer x-ray coatings and techniques to mitigate coating-induced deformation of telescope mirror substrates.

We plan to develop new EUV multilayer coatings that provide higher normal-incidence reflectance, better control of spectral bandpass (using aperiodic coating designs) for improved narrow-band imaging and wide-band spectroscopy, better stability and resistance to oxidation and harsh environments (for use in missions that have orbits subjected to a high flux of energetic particles, for example), and lower film stress to avoid potential coating failures. These advancements in coating performance will be achieved through a comprehensive experimental research program during which we will test a variety of new multilayer material combinations, and optimize performance of the best coatings by systematically adjusting the multilayer design. We will characterize the EUV reflectance, film stress, and stability of the new coatings we develop, in order to raise their technology readiness level (to TRL 4 or 5) and thus qualify their use in future NASA missions.