Electron-beam patterning resolution

Kozawa T, Saeki A, Yoshida Y, Tagawa S. (2002) Study on radiation-induced reaction in microscopic region for basic understanding of electron beam patterning in lithographic process (1) development of subpicosecond pulse radiolysis and relation between space resolution and radiation-induced reactions of onium salt. Jpn J Appl Phys 41 4208-4212. 

Electron Beam Lithography. LB PMMA films with thicknesses of 6.3 nm (7 layers) are sufficient for patterning a Cr film suitable for photomask fabrication. For ultrathin PMMA films the resolution (see Fig. 1) is limited by the smallest spot diameter available on MEBES I (1/8 pm). However, it is not possible to obtain this resolution if a thicker resist (>100 nm) is used under the same exposure and development conditions, which demonstrates that ultrathin resists are able to minimize the proximity effect. Also, since the radius of gyration of 188,100 Mw PMMA is about 10 nm in the bulk, and the thickness of the 7 layer film (6.3 nm) is less than 10 nm, it is reasonable to assume there must be an alteration of chain configuration in the ultrathin films. This will be particularly true when the post-deposition baking temperature of the multilayer films is less than the glass transition temperature (115°C), as is the case for the present experiments. In such a case, interdiffusion of PMMA chains between the deposited layers may not result in chain configurations characteristic of the bulk. 

An alternative is to use electron beam lithography, whose basic resolution is of order 4 A. However, e-beam lithography is a serial addressing system, rather than a parallel system, so that we must write a 2D image as a series of lines, rather than a 2D pattern, and this takes a much longer time. 

With the aid of this prototype, an adequate scanning unit -interfaced to the TEM -scans with pre-determined step size resolution- a part or whole of ED pattern against a fixed detector. Electron beam is deflected by means of deflector coils in the TEM which are situated after the sample. Fixed detector can be either a combination of a scintillator and a photomultiplier or a Faraday cage (one or multiple). Detector is fitted at the bottom of the TEM column, but can also be adapted in the 35 mm port, if the port below the TEM column is occupied by e g. a CCD camera (see fig. 1). 

---