Patent ID: 7308007

Claim:
A method for generating soft x-ray laser radiation comprising the steps of: (a) directing at least one first laser pulse having a first chosen energy and a first chosen pulse width onto an exposed surface of a target comprising selected atoms at a first angle to the normal to the surface effective for generating an expanding plasma in the vicinity of the surface comprising ions of the selected atoms; (b) directing a second laser pulse having a second chosen energy and a second chosen pulse width onto the surface of the selected target at a second angle to the normal to the surface effective for increasing the degree of ionization of the ions of the expanding plasma, at a first chosen time after said step of directing at least one first laser pulse onto the target; and (c) directing a plasma excitation pulse having a third chosen energy and a third chosen pulse width into the plasma at a third chosen angle to the normal to the surface of the target effective for producing a population inversion in the ions of the plasma, the third chosen angle being greater than 40°, and at a second chosen time after said step of directing a second laser pulse onto the target, whereby soft x-ray laser radiation is generated.