Electron-beam lithography

About: Electron-beam lithography is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8982 publications have been published within this topic receiving 143325 citations. The topic is also known as: e-beam lithography.

Atomic force microscopy lithography as a nanodevice development technique

Abstract: Nanoscale science and technology is today mainly focused on the fabrication of nanodevices. Our approach makes use of lithography processes to build the desired nanostructures directly. The fabrication process involves an electron-beam lithography technique to define metallic microstructures onto which nanometre scale patterning is performed using an atomic force microscope (AFM) as a mechanical modification tool. Both direct material removal and AFM-assisted mask patterning are applied in order to achieve the smallest possible separation between electrode pairs. The sample preparation involves a polymer deposition process that results in conformal growth and in surface roughness comparable to that of the substrate. The results of the application of this technique show that the process is reproducible and exhibits a good operation control during the lithographic steps, both ensured by the imaging facilities of the AFM. The nanolithography technique has been used to fabricate nanogap electrodes to be used for molecular devices. The study reported here can be considered as a reliable starting point for the development of more complex nanodevices, such as single-electron transistors.

Silicon waveguides and ring resonators at 5.5 μm

Abstract: We demonstrate low loss ridge waveguides and the first ring resonators for the mid-infrared, for wavelengths ranging from 5.4 to 5.6 μm. Structures were fabricated using electron-beam lithography on the silicon-on-sapphire material system. Waveguide losses of 4.0±0.7 dB/cm are achieved, as well as Q-values of 3.0 k.

New Generation Electron Beam Resists: A Review

Abstract: The semiconductor industry has already entered the sub-10 nm region, which has led to the development of cutting-edge fabrication tools. However, there are other factors that hinder the best outcome of these tools, such as the substrate and resist materials, pre- and postfabrication processes, etc. Among the lithography techniques, electron beam lithography (EBL) is the prime choice when a job requires dimensions lower than 10–20 nm, since it can easily achieve such critical dimensions in reasonable time and effort. When obtaining pattern features in single nanometer regime, the resist material properties play an important role in determining the size. With this agenda in mind, many resists have been developed over the years suitable for attaining required resolution in lesser EBL writing time. This review article addresses the recent advancements made in EBL resists technology. It first describes the different lithography processes briefly and then progresses on to the parameters affecting the EBL fabric...

Replication of vertical features smaller than 2 nm by soft lithography.

Abstract: This communication demonstrates a simple, soft lithographic approach to the replication and metrology of nanoscale vertical displacements. We patterned test structures with regular patterns that minimize artifacts in measurements by atomic force microscopy. A composite stamp of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molded against the original test structure served as a template to generate polyurethane replicas. We replicated vertical displacements down to approximately 1.5 nm. This replication demonstrates the capability of soft lithography to reproduce features with dimensions similar to those of large molecules.

Directed Block Copolymer Assembly versus Electron Beam Lithography for Bit-Patterned Media with Areal Density of 1 Terabit/inch2 and Beyond

Abstract: The directed self-assembly of block copolymer (BCP) offers a new route to perfect nanolithographic patterning at sub-50 nm length scale with molecular scale precision. We have explored the feasibility of using the BCP approach versus the conventional electron beam (e-beam) lithography to create highly dense dot patterns for bit-patterned media (BPM) applications. Cylinder-forming poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) directly self-assembled on a chemically prepatterned substrate. The nearly perfect hexagonal arrays of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical pores at a density of approximately 1 Terabit per square inch (Tb/in.2) are achieved over an arbitrarily large area. Considerable gains in the BCP process are observed relative to the conventional e-beam lithography in terms of the dot size variation, the placement accuracy, the pattern uniformity, and the exposure latitude. The maximum dimensional latitude in the cylinder-forming BCP patterns and the maximum skew angle that the BCP can tolerate...