Interaction of ultrashort x-ray pulses with B4C, SiC, and Si

The interaction of 32.5 and 6 nm ultrashort x-ray pulses with the solid materials B4C, SiC, and Si is simulated with a nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium radiation transfer code. We study the ionization dynamics as a function of depth in the material and modifications of the opacity during irradiation, and estimate the crater depth. Furthermore, we compare the estimated crater depth with experimental data, for fluences up to 2.2 J/cm(2). Our results show that, at 32.5 nm irradiation, the opacity changes by less than a factor of 2 for B4C and Si and by a factor of 3 for SiC, for fluences up to 200 J/cm(2). At a laser wavelength of 6 nm, the model predicts a dramatic decrease in opacity due to the weak inverse bremsstrahlung, increasing the crater depth for high fluences.