Diffractive phase-shift lithography photomask operating in proximity printing mode

A phase shift proximity printing lithographic mask is designed, manufactured and tested. Its design is based on a Fresnel computer-generated hologram, employing the scalar diffraction theory. The obtained amplitude and phase distributions were mapped into discrete levels. In addition, a coding scheme using sub-cells structure was employed in order to increase the number of discrete levels, thus increasing the degree of freedom in the resulting mask. The mask is fabricated on a fused silica substrate and an amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a:C-H) thin film which act as amplitude modulation agent. The lithographic image is projected onto a resist coated silicon wafer, placed at a distance of 50 mu m behind the mask. The results show a improvement of the achieved resolution - linewidth as good as 1.5 mu m - what is impossible to obtain with traditional binary masks in proximity printing mode. Such achieved dimensions can be used in the fabrication of MEMS and MOEMS devices. These results are obtained with a UV laser but also with a small arc lamp light source exploring the partial coherence of this source. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America

Surface reconstruction from microscopic images in optical lithography.

This paper presents a method to reconstruct 3D surfaces of silicon wafers from 2D images of printed circuits taken with a scanning electron microscope. Our reconstruction method combines the physical model of the optical acquisition system with prior knowledge about the shapes of the patterns in the circuit; the result is a shape-from-shading technique with a shape prior. The reconstruction of the surface is formulated as an optimization problem with an objective functional that combines a data-fidelity term on the microscopic image with two prior terms on the surface. The data term models the acquisition system through the irradiance equation characteristic of the microscope; the first prior is a smoothness penalty on the reconstructed surface, and the second prior constrains the shape of the surface to agree with the expected shape of the pattern in the circuit. In order to account for the variability of the manufacturing process, this second prior includes a deformation field that allows a nonlinear elastic deformation between the expected pattern and the reconstructed surface. As a result, the minimization problem has two unknowns, and the reconstruction method provides two outputs: 1) a reconstructed surface and 2) a deformation field. The reconstructed surface is derived from the shading observed in the image and the prior knowledge about the pattern in the circuit, while the deformation field produces a mapping between the expected shape and the reconstructed surface that provides a measure of deviation between the circuit design models and the real manufacturing process.

Lithography-free micro- and nanostructuring based on conventional plasma etching

In now-a-days semiconductor and MEMS technologies the photolithography is the working horse for fabrication of functional devices. The conventional way (so called Top-Down approach) of microstructuring starts with photolithography, followed by patterning the structures using etching, especially dry etching. The requirements for smaller and hence faster devices lead to decrease of the feature size to the range of several nanometers. However, the production of devices in this scale range needs photolithography equipment, which must overcome the diffraction limit. Therefore, new photolithography techniques have been recently developed, but they are rather expensive and restricted to plane surfaces. Recently a new route has been presented - so-called Bottom-Up approach - where from a single atom or a molecule it is possible to obtain functional devices. This creates new field - Nanotechnology - where one speaks about structures with dimensions 1 - 100 nm, and which has the possibility to replace the conventional photolithography concerning its integral part - the self-assembly. However, this technique requires additional and special equipment and therefore is not yet widely applicable. This work presents a general scheme for the fabrication of silicon and silicon dioxide structures with lateral dimensions of less than 100 nm that avoids high-resolution photolithography processes. For the self-aligned formation of extremely small openings in silicon dioxide layers at in depth sharpened surface structures, the angle dependent etching rate distribution of silicon dioxide against plasma etching with a fluorocarbon gas (CHF3) was exploited. Subsequent anisotropic plasma etching of the silicon substrate material through the perforated silicon dioxide masking layer results in high aspect ratio trenches of approximately the same lateral dimensions. The latter can be reduced and precisely adjusted between 0 and 200 nm by thermal oxidation of the silicon structures owing to the volume expansion of silicon during the oxidation. On the basis of this a technology for the fabrication of SNOM calibration standards is presented. Additionally so-formed trenches were used as a template for CVD deposition of diamond resulting in high aspect ratio diamond knife. A lithography-free method for production of periodic and nonperiodic surface structures using the angular dependence of the etching rate is also presented. It combines the self-assembly of masking particles with the conventional plasma etching techniques known from microelectromechanical system technology. The method is generally applicable to bulk as well as layered materials. In this work, layers of glass spheres of different diameters were assembled on the sample surface forming a mask against plasma etching. Silicon surface structures with periodicity of 500 nm and feature dimensions of 20 nm were produced in this way. Thermal oxidation of the so structured silicon substrate offers the capability to vary the fill factor of the periodic structure owing to the volume expansion during oxidation but also to define silicon dioxide surface structures by selective plasma etching. Similar structures can be simply obtained by structuring silicon dioxide layers on silicon. The method offers a simple route for bridging the Nano- and Microtechnology and moreover, an uncomplicated way for photonic crystal fabrication.

Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography als innovatives Verfahren zur Herstellung von Nanospektrometern im sichtbaren Spektralbereich

Selbstbestimmung und -gestaltung des eigenen Alltages gewinnen immer mehr an Bedeutung, insbesondere für ältere Mitmenschen in ländlichen Regionen, die auf ärztliche Versorgung angewiesen sind. Die Schaffung sogenannter smart personal environments mittels einer Vielzahl von, nahezu unsichtbar installierten Sensoren im gewohnten Lebensraum liefert dem Anwender (lebens-) notwendige Informationen über seine Umgebung oder seinen eigenen Körper. Dabei gilt es nicht den Anwender mit technischen Daten, wie Spektren, zu überfordern. Vielmehr sollte die Handhabung so einfach wie möglich gestaltet werden und die ausgewertete Information als Indikationsmittel zum weiteren Handeln dienen. Die Anforderungen an moderne Technologien sind folglich eine starke Miniaturisierung, zur optimalen Integration und Mobilität, bei gleichzeitig hoher Auflösung und Stabilität. Die Zielsetzung der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Miniaturisierung eines spektroskopischen Systems bei gleichzeitig hohem Auflösungsvermögen für die Detektion im sichtbaren Spektralbereich. Eine Möglichkeit für die Herstellung eines konkurrenzfähigen „Mini-„ oder „Mikrospektrometers“ basiert auf Fabry-Pérot (FP) Filtersystemen, da hierbei die Miniaturisierung nicht wie üblich auf Gittersysteme limitiert ist. Der maßgebliche Faktor für das spektrale Auflösungsvermögen des Spektrometers ist die vertikale Präzision und Homogenität der einzelnen 3D Filterkavitäten, die die unterschiedlichen Transmissionswellenlängen der einzelnen Filter festlegen. Die wirtschaftliche Konkurrenzfähigkeit des am INA entwickelten Nanospektremeters wurde durch die maximale Reduzierung der Prozessschritte, nämlich auf einen einzigen Schritt, erreicht. Erstmalig wird eine neuartige Nanoimprint Technologie, die sog. Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography, für die Herstellung von wellenlängen-selektierenden Filterkavitäten von stark miniaturisierten Spektrometern eingesetzt. Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wird das Design des FP Filtersystems entwickelt und technologisch mittels Dünnschichtdeposition und der Nanoimprinttechnologie realisiert. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt liegt hierbei in der Untersuchung des Prägematerials, dessen optische Eigenschaften maßgeblich über die Performance des Filtersystems entscheiden. Mit Hilfe eines speziell gefertigten Mikroskopspektrometers werden die gefertigten Filterfelder hinsichtlich ihrer Transmissionseigenschaften und ihres Auflösungsvermögens hin untersucht. Im Hinblick auf publizierte Arbeiten konkurrierender Arbeitsgruppen konnte eine deutliche Verbesserung des miniaturisierten Spektrometers erreicht werden. Die Minimierung der Prozessschritte auf einen einzigen Prägeschritt sorgt gleichzeitig für eine schnelle und zuverlässige Replikation der wellenlängenselektierenden Filterkavitäten. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde aufgezeigt, dass das angestrebte Nanospektrometer, trotz der sehr geringen Größe, eine hohe Auflösung liefern kann und gerade wegen der starken Miniaturisierung mit kommerziellen Mini- und Mikro-spektrometern konkurrenzfähig ist.

Two-dimensional Photonic Crystals Fabricated by Nanoimprint Lithography

We report on the process parameters of nanoimprint lithography (NIL) for the fabrication of two-dimensional (2-D) photonic crystals. The nickel mould with 2-D photonic crystal patterns covering the area up to 20mm² is produced by electron-beam lithography (EBL) and electroplating. Periodic pillars as high as 200nm to 250nm are produced on the mould with the diameters ranging from 180nm to 400nm. The mould is employed for nanoimprinting on the poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) layer spin-coated on the silicon substrate. Periodic air holes are formed in PMMA above its glass-transition temperature and the patterns on the mould are well transferred. This nanometer-size structure provided by NIL is subjective to further pattern transfer.

Offset Lithography

A group of students are shown working in the Offset Lithography Department at the New York Trade School. Several presses can be seen in the room. Black and white photograph.

View of Lithography Lab at the New York Trade School

Part of a lithography lab at the New York Trade School is depicted in this photograph. To the right sample prints are hung on a board, while other prints can be seen on the table, possibly drying. Black and white photograph.

Members of the Stripping Class in the Lithography Department

In this photo, members of the Stripping Class in the Lithography Department of the New York Trade School are shown at work. Original caption reads, "Members of the Stripping Class. Equipment loaned by the United States Printing & Litho. Company and Local #1." Black and white photograph.

Lithography Students

A lithography student at the New York Trade School is shown working on a machine. Black and white photograph.

Lithography Laboratory 3

Photograph of students at the Voorhees Technical Institute.

Lithography Laboratory 2

Photograph of students at the Voorhees Technical Institute.

Lithography Laboratory 1

Photograph of students at the Voorhees Technical Institute.

Plasmonic structures fabricated by interference lithography for sensor applications

In this work we demonstrate the use of holographic lithography for generation of large area plasmonic periodic structures. Submicrometric array of holes, with different periods and thickness, were recorded in gold films, in areas of about 1 cm2, with homogeneity similar to that of samples recorded by Focused Ion Beam. In order to check the plasmonic properties, we measured the transmission spectra of the samples. The spectra exhibit the typical surface plasmon resonances (SPR) in the infrared whose position and width present the expected behavior with the period of the array and film thickness. The shift of the peak position with the permittivity of the surrounding medium demonstrates the feasebility of the sample as large area sensors. © 2009 SPIE.