Charged particle lithography

Electron-beam lithography (EBL) refers to a lithographic patterning technique in which a focused beam of electrons is used to expose and pattern resist-coated semiconductor substrates as part of a number of steps used in the fabrication of IC devices. Its introduction into IC fabrication dates back to 1957. Today, electron-beam lithography is used primarily in fabrication of masks used in optical lithography and x-ray lithography. It is also used in low-volume fabrication of exploratory IC device layers with extremely small features it has also found application in nanotechnology research. 

Like photons, electrons exhibit particle and wavelike properties, but their wavelength (0.012-0.024 nm, corresponding to 50-100-keV of energy for 

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It is my intention to provide in this book a eoneise treatment of chemieal phenomena in lithography in a manner that is aeeessible to a wide readership. While the emphasis is plaeed on how lithography is mediated through chemieal phenomena, topics in optical and charged particle physics as they are practiced in lithography are also presented, with a broader view to illustrate how the marriage between chemistry and optics has made possible the print and electronic revolutions on which our digital age depends. 

For single-nanowire devices, highly expensive techniques (such as a focused ion beam, or a series of nano-lithographic tools) must be used, ranging from proton and electron beam nanoUthography, in which patterned substrates are obtained under the application of a charged particle beam, to nano-imprint lithography. ... 

On detailed electrical characteristics of a SET transistor utilizing charging effects on metal nanoclusters were reported by Sato et al. [26]. A self-assembled chain of colloidal gold nanoparticles was connected to metal electrodes, which were formed by electron-beam lithography. The cross-linking of the particles as well as their connection to the electrodes results from a linkage by bifunctional organic molecules, which present the tunnel barriers. 

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