Electron beam lithography(EBL)involves the transfer of a pattern onto the surface of a substrate byfirst scanning a thin layer of organicfilm(called resist)on the surface by a tightly focused and precisely controlled el...Electron beam lithography(EBL)involves the transfer of a pattern onto the surface of a substrate byfirst scanning a thin layer of organicfilm(called resist)on the surface by a tightly focused and precisely controlled electron beam(exposure)and then selectively removing the exposed or nonexposed regions of the resist in a solvent(developing).It is widely used for fabrication of integrated cir-cuits,mask manufacturing,photoelectric device processing,and otherfields.The key to drawing circular patterns by EBL is the graphics production and control.In an EBL system,an embedded processor calculates and generates the trajectory coordinates for movement of the electron beam,and outputs the corresponding voltage signal through a digital-to-analog converter(DAC)to control a deflector that changes the position of the electron beam.Through this procedure,it is possible to guarantee the accuracy and real-time con-trol of electron beam scanning deflection.Existing EBL systems mostly use the method of polygonal approximation to expose circles.A circle is divided into several polygons,and the smaller the segmentation,the higher is the precision of the splicing circle.However,owing to the need to generate and scan each polygon separately,an increase in the number of segments will lead to a decrease in the overall lithography speed.In this paper,based on Bresenham’s circle algorithm and exploiting the capabilities of afield-programmable gate array and DAC,an improved real-time circle-producing algorithm is designed for EBL.The algorithm can directly generate cir-cular graphics coordinates such as those for a single circle,solid circle,solid ring,or concentric ring,and is able to effectively realizes deflection and scanning of the electron beam for circular graphics lithography.Compared with the polygonal approximation method,the improved algorithm exhibits improved precision and speed.At the same time,the point generation strategy is optimized to solve the blank pixel and pseudo-pixel problems that arise with Bresenham’s circle algorithm.A complete electron beam deflection system is established to carry out lithography experiments,the results of which show that the error between the exposure results and the preset pat-terns is at the nanometer level,indicating that the improved algorithm meets the requirements for real-time control and high precision of EBL.展开更多
A new method for determining proximity parameters α,β ,and η in electron beam lithography is introduced on the assumption that the point exposure spread function is composed of two Gaussians.A single line i...A new method for determining proximity parameters α,β ,and η in electron beam lithography is introduced on the assumption that the point exposure spread function is composed of two Gaussians.A single line is used as test pattern to determine proximity effect parameters and the normalization approach is adopted in experimental data transaction in order to eliminate the need of measuring exposure clearing dose of the resist.Furthermore,the parameters acquired by this method are successfully used for proximity effect correction in electron beam lithography on the same experimental conditions.展开更多
The JEOL JBX-5000LS is a vector type machine.The system hardware features an ion-pumped column,a LaB 6 electron emitter,25kV and 50kV accelerating voltage,and a turbo-pumped sample chamber.The resolution,stability,st...The JEOL JBX-5000LS is a vector type machine.The system hardware features an ion-pumped column,a LaB 6 electron emitter,25kV and 50kV accelerating voltage,and a turbo-pumped sample chamber.The resolution,stability,stitching and overlay of this system are evaluated.The system can write complex patterns at dimensions down to 30nm.The demonstrated overlay accuracy of this system is better than 40nm.展开更多
High resolution Fresnel zone plates for nanoscale three-dimensional imaging of materials by both soft and hard x-rays are increasingly needed by the broad applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology.When the outmos...High resolution Fresnel zone plates for nanoscale three-dimensional imaging of materials by both soft and hard x-rays are increasingly needed by the broad applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology.When the outmost zone-width is shrinking down to 50 nm or even below,patterning the zone plates with high aspect ratio by electron beam lithography still remains a challenge because of the proximity effect.The uneven charge distribution in the exposed resist is still frequently observed even after standard proximity effect correction(PEC),because of the large variety in the line width.This work develops a new strategy,nicknamed as local proximity effect correction(LPEC),efficiently modifying the deposited energy over the whole zone plate on the top of proximity effect correction.By this way,50 nm zone plates with the aspect ratio from 4:1 up to 15:1 and the duty cycle close to 0.5 have been fabricated.Their imaging capability in soft(1.3 keV)and hard(9 keV)x-ray,respectively,has been demonstrated in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility(SSRF)with the resolution of 50 nm.The local proximity effect correction developed in this work should also be generally significant for the generation of zone plates with high resolutions beyond 50 nm.展开更多
The electron optical column for the variable rectangular-shaped beam lithographysystem DJ-2 is described,with emphasis on the analysis of the optical configuration and theshaping deflection compensation.In this column...The electron optical column for the variable rectangular-shaped beam lithographysystem DJ-2 is described,with emphasis on the analysis of the optical configuration and theshaping deflection compensation.In this column the variable spot shaping is performed with aminimum number of lenses by a more reasonable optical scheme.A high-sensitivity electrostaticshaping deflector with sequential parallel-plates is implemented for high-speed spot shaping.With a precise linear and rotational approach,the spot current density,the edge resolution aswell as the position of spot origin remain unchanged when the spot size varies.Experiments showthat the spot current density of over 0.4 A/cm^2 is obtained with a tungsten hairpin cathode,andthe edge resolution is better than 0.2μm within a 2×2 mm^2 field size.展开更多
In order to obtain uniform exposure in variably shaped electron beam lithography,the beam current density and edge resolution on the target must not change for different spotshapes and sizes.The key to the goal is the...In order to obtain uniform exposure in variably shaped electron beam lithography,the beam current density and edge resolution on the target must not change for different spotshapes and sizes.The key to the goal is the appropriate design of shaping deflectors.A linearand rotation compensation approach is presented.Values of linear and rotation compensationfactors versus the distances between electron source image and centers of deflectors are measuredon an experimental electron beam column with variable spot shaping.The experimental resultsare in good agreement with the calculated ones.展开更多
Electron beam lithography(EBL) is a key technology in the fabrication of nanoscale silicon optical waveguide. The influence of exposure dose, the main process parameter of EBL, on the structure profile of poly-methyl ...Electron beam lithography(EBL) is a key technology in the fabrication of nanoscale silicon optical waveguide. The influence of exposure dose, the main process parameter of EBL, on the structure profile of poly-methyl methacrylate(PMMA) after development was studied using a silicon on insulator(SOI) wafer with 220 nm top silicon as the substrate. The relationship between exposure dose and structure pattern width after development was analyzed according to the measurement results. The optimum exposure dose of 220 μC/cm^(2) was found to obtain a final structure consistent with the designed mask value through subsequent processes. At the same time, according to the image segmentation curve tracking technology, the contour extraction process of the dose test results was carried out, and the relationship among mask design value, exposure dose and two-dimensional roughness of boundary contour was analyzed, which can provide reference for the subsequent electron beam lithography of the same substrate material.展开更多
A single-beam interference-lithography scheme is demonstrated for the fabrication of large-area slant gratings, which requires exposure of the photoresist thin film spin-coated on a glass plate with polished side-wall...A single-beam interference-lithography scheme is demonstrated for the fabrication of large-area slant gratings, which requires exposure of the photoresist thin film spin-coated on a glass plate with polished side-walls to a single laser beam in the ultraviolet and requires small coherence length of the laser. No additional beam splitting scheme and no adjustments for laser-beam overlapping and for optical path-length balancing are needed. Bragg-angle diffractions are observed as strong optical extinction that is tunable with changing the angle of incidence. This device is important for the design of efficient filters, beam splitters, and photonic devices.展开更多
E-beam lithography is a powerful tool for generating nanostructures and fabricating nanodevices with fine features approaching a few nanometers in size.However,alternative approaches to conventional spin coating and d...E-beam lithography is a powerful tool for generating nanostructures and fabricating nanodevices with fine features approaching a few nanometers in size.However,alternative approaches to conventional spin coating and development processes are required to optimize the lithography procedure on irregular surfaces.In this review,we summarize the state of the art in nanofabrication on irregular substrates using e-beam lithography.To overcome these challenges,unconventional methods have been developed.For instance,polymeric and nonpolymeric materials can be sprayed or evaporated to form uniform layers of electron-sensitive materials on irregular substrates.Moreover,chemical bonds can be applied to help form polymer brushes or self-assembled monolayers on these surfaces.In addition,thermal oxides can serve as resists,as the etching rate in solution changes after e-beam exposure.Furthermore,e-beam lithography tools can be combined with cryostages,evaporation systems,and metal deposition chambers for sample development and lift-off while maintaining low temperatures.Metallic nanopyramids can be fabricated on an AFM tip by utilizing ice as a positive resistor.Additionally,Ti/Au caps can be patterned around a carbon nanotube.Moreover,3D nanostructures can be formed on irregular surfaces by exposing layers of anisole on organic ice surfaces with a focused e-beam.These advances in e-beam lithography on irregular substrates,including uniform film coating,instrumentation improvement,and new pattern transferring method development,substantially extend its capabilities in the fabrication and application of nanoscale structures.展开更多
This paper reports a procedure of soft x-ray lithography for the fabrication of an organic crossbar structure. Electron beam lithography is employed to fabricate the mask for soft x-ray lithography, with direct writin...This paper reports a procedure of soft x-ray lithography for the fabrication of an organic crossbar structure. Electron beam lithography is employed to fabricate the mask for soft x-ray lithography, with direct writing technology to the lithograph positive resist and polymethyl methacrylate on the polyimide film. Then Au is electroplated on the polyimide film. Hard contact mode exposure is used in x-ray lithography to transfer the graph from the mask to the wafer. The 256-bits organic memory is achieved with the critical dimension of 250 nm.展开更多
Ultra-thin (20-100nm) polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) films prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques have been explored as high resolution electron beam resists. A Hitachi S-450 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has bee...Ultra-thin (20-100nm) polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) films prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques have been explored as high resolution electron beam resists. A Hitachi S-450 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been refitted for a high resolution electron beam exposure system. The lithographic properties and exposure conditions of LB PMMA films were investigated. 0.15μm lines-and-spaces patterns were achieved by using the SEM as the exposure tool. The results demonstrate that the etch resistance of such films is sufficiently good to allow patterning of a 20 nm aluminum film suitable for mask fabrication.展开更多
基金supported by the Focused Ion Beam/Electron Beam Double Beam Microscopy(Grant No.2021YFF0704702).
文摘Electron beam lithography(EBL)involves the transfer of a pattern onto the surface of a substrate byfirst scanning a thin layer of organicfilm(called resist)on the surface by a tightly focused and precisely controlled electron beam(exposure)and then selectively removing the exposed or nonexposed regions of the resist in a solvent(developing).It is widely used for fabrication of integrated cir-cuits,mask manufacturing,photoelectric device processing,and otherfields.The key to drawing circular patterns by EBL is the graphics production and control.In an EBL system,an embedded processor calculates and generates the trajectory coordinates for movement of the electron beam,and outputs the corresponding voltage signal through a digital-to-analog converter(DAC)to control a deflector that changes the position of the electron beam.Through this procedure,it is possible to guarantee the accuracy and real-time con-trol of electron beam scanning deflection.Existing EBL systems mostly use the method of polygonal approximation to expose circles.A circle is divided into several polygons,and the smaller the segmentation,the higher is the precision of the splicing circle.However,owing to the need to generate and scan each polygon separately,an increase in the number of segments will lead to a decrease in the overall lithography speed.In this paper,based on Bresenham’s circle algorithm and exploiting the capabilities of afield-programmable gate array and DAC,an improved real-time circle-producing algorithm is designed for EBL.The algorithm can directly generate cir-cular graphics coordinates such as those for a single circle,solid circle,solid ring,or concentric ring,and is able to effectively realizes deflection and scanning of the electron beam for circular graphics lithography.Compared with the polygonal approximation method,the improved algorithm exhibits improved precision and speed.At the same time,the point generation strategy is optimized to solve the blank pixel and pseudo-pixel problems that arise with Bresenham’s circle algorithm.A complete electron beam deflection system is established to carry out lithography experiments,the results of which show that the error between the exposure results and the preset pat-terns is at the nanometer level,indicating that the improved algorithm meets the requirements for real-time control and high precision of EBL.
文摘A new method for determining proximity parameters α,β ,and η in electron beam lithography is introduced on the assumption that the point exposure spread function is composed of two Gaussians.A single line is used as test pattern to determine proximity effect parameters and the normalization approach is adopted in experimental data transaction in order to eliminate the need of measuring exposure clearing dose of the resist.Furthermore,the parameters acquired by this method are successfully used for proximity effect correction in electron beam lithography on the same experimental conditions.
文摘The JEOL JBX-5000LS is a vector type machine.The system hardware features an ion-pumped column,a LaB 6 electron emitter,25kV and 50kV accelerating voltage,and a turbo-pumped sample chamber.The resolution,stability,stitching and overlay of this system are evaluated.The system can write complex patterns at dimensions down to 30nm.The demonstrated overlay accuracy of this system is better than 40nm.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U1732104)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2017M611443)Shanghai STCSM2019-11-20 Grant,China(Grant No.19142202700)。
文摘High resolution Fresnel zone plates for nanoscale three-dimensional imaging of materials by both soft and hard x-rays are increasingly needed by the broad applications in nanoscience and nanotechnology.When the outmost zone-width is shrinking down to 50 nm or even below,patterning the zone plates with high aspect ratio by electron beam lithography still remains a challenge because of the proximity effect.The uneven charge distribution in the exposed resist is still frequently observed even after standard proximity effect correction(PEC),because of the large variety in the line width.This work develops a new strategy,nicknamed as local proximity effect correction(LPEC),efficiently modifying the deposited energy over the whole zone plate on the top of proximity effect correction.By this way,50 nm zone plates with the aspect ratio from 4:1 up to 15:1 and the duty cycle close to 0.5 have been fabricated.Their imaging capability in soft(1.3 keV)and hard(9 keV)x-ray,respectively,has been demonstrated in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility(SSRF)with the resolution of 50 nm.The local proximity effect correction developed in this work should also be generally significant for the generation of zone plates with high resolutions beyond 50 nm.
文摘The electron optical column for the variable rectangular-shaped beam lithographysystem DJ-2 is described,with emphasis on the analysis of the optical configuration and theshaping deflection compensation.In this column the variable spot shaping is performed with aminimum number of lenses by a more reasonable optical scheme.A high-sensitivity electrostaticshaping deflector with sequential parallel-plates is implemented for high-speed spot shaping.With a precise linear and rotational approach,the spot current density,the edge resolution aswell as the position of spot origin remain unchanged when the spot size varies.Experiments showthat the spot current density of over 0.4 A/cm^2 is obtained with a tungsten hairpin cathode,andthe edge resolution is better than 0.2μm within a 2×2 mm^2 field size.
文摘In order to obtain uniform exposure in variably shaped electron beam lithography,the beam current density and edge resolution on the target must not change for different spotshapes and sizes.The key to the goal is the appropriate design of shaping deflectors.A linearand rotation compensation approach is presented.Values of linear and rotation compensationfactors versus the distances between electron source image and centers of deflectors are measuredon an experimental electron beam column with variable spot shaping.The experimental resultsare in good agreement with the calculated ones.
基金Project(52175445) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(ZZYJKT2020-09) supported by the State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing (Central South University),China+1 种基金Projects(2020JJ4247, 2022JJ30743) supported by the Natural Foundation of Hunan Province,ChinaProject(1053320190337) supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central University,China。
文摘Electron beam lithography(EBL) is a key technology in the fabrication of nanoscale silicon optical waveguide. The influence of exposure dose, the main process parameter of EBL, on the structure profile of poly-methyl methacrylate(PMMA) after development was studied using a silicon on insulator(SOI) wafer with 220 nm top silicon as the substrate. The relationship between exposure dose and structure pattern width after development was analyzed according to the measurement results. The optimum exposure dose of 220 μC/cm^(2) was found to obtain a final structure consistent with the designed mask value through subsequent processes. At the same time, according to the image segmentation curve tracking technology, the contour extraction process of the dose test results was carried out, and the relationship among mask design value, exposure dose and two-dimensional roughness of boundary contour was analyzed, which can provide reference for the subsequent electron beam lithography of the same substrate material.
文摘A single-beam interference-lithography scheme is demonstrated for the fabrication of large-area slant gratings, which requires exposure of the photoresist thin film spin-coated on a glass plate with polished side-walls to a single laser beam in the ultraviolet and requires small coherence length of the laser. No additional beam splitting scheme and no adjustments for laser-beam overlapping and for optical path-length balancing are needed. Bragg-angle diffractions are observed as strong optical extinction that is tunable with changing the angle of incidence. This device is important for the design of efficient filters, beam splitters, and photonic devices.
文摘E-beam lithography is a powerful tool for generating nanostructures and fabricating nanodevices with fine features approaching a few nanometers in size.However,alternative approaches to conventional spin coating and development processes are required to optimize the lithography procedure on irregular surfaces.In this review,we summarize the state of the art in nanofabrication on irregular substrates using e-beam lithography.To overcome these challenges,unconventional methods have been developed.For instance,polymeric and nonpolymeric materials can be sprayed or evaporated to form uniform layers of electron-sensitive materials on irregular substrates.Moreover,chemical bonds can be applied to help form polymer brushes or self-assembled monolayers on these surfaces.In addition,thermal oxides can serve as resists,as the etching rate in solution changes after e-beam exposure.Furthermore,e-beam lithography tools can be combined with cryostages,evaporation systems,and metal deposition chambers for sample development and lift-off while maintaining low temperatures.Metallic nanopyramids can be fabricated on an AFM tip by utilizing ice as a positive resistor.Additionally,Ti/Au caps can be patterned around a carbon nanotube.Moreover,3D nanostructures can be formed on irregular surfaces by exposing layers of anisole on organic ice surfaces with a focused e-beam.These advances in e-beam lithography on irregular substrates,including uniform film coating,instrumentation improvement,and new pattern transferring method development,substantially extend its capabilities in the fabrication and application of nanoscale structures.
基金Project supported by the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2006CB806204)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 60825403,90607022,60676001 and 60676008)Synchrotron Radiation Fund of Innovation Project of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20070156S)
文摘This paper reports a procedure of soft x-ray lithography for the fabrication of an organic crossbar structure. Electron beam lithography is employed to fabricate the mask for soft x-ray lithography, with direct writing technology to the lithograph positive resist and polymethyl methacrylate on the polyimide film. Then Au is electroplated on the polyimide film. Hard contact mode exposure is used in x-ray lithography to transfer the graph from the mask to the wafer. The 256-bits organic memory is achieved with the critical dimension of 250 nm.
文摘Ultra-thin (20-100nm) polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) films prepared by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques have been explored as high resolution electron beam resists. A Hitachi S-450 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) has been refitted for a high resolution electron beam exposure system. The lithographic properties and exposure conditions of LB PMMA films were investigated. 0.15μm lines-and-spaces patterns were achieved by using the SEM as the exposure tool. The results demonstrate that the etch resistance of such films is sufficiently good to allow patterning of a 20 nm aluminum film suitable for mask fabrication.
