Thin film patterns

Individual microelectronic devices consist of numerous layers of carefully patterned thin films. Patterning depends upon the ability to define and draw a two-dimensional pattern on a wafer substrate. Currently, this ability depends on photolithography by optical projection, in which a polymer resist film is deposited on the wafer and subsequently exposed to ultraviolet... 

P.F. Green, R. Limary, Block copolymer thin films pattern formation and phase behavior. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 94 (2001) 53-81. 

G. Reiter, Thin-film pattern formation—the artistic side of intermolecu-... 

In another work [81] a silver thin-film pattern was covered with a polyimide protection layer with a 50 pm wide slit at the center of the pattern and the Ag AgCl layer was grown from there into the silver layer. A liquid junction was formed with a photocurable hydrophihc polymer. A silicone rubber passivation covered the entire area except for the pad and the end of the junction. The complete miniature liquid-junction reference electrode could maintain a stable level within 1 mV for time longer than 100 h with the aid of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) matrix in the electrolyte layer. 

Etch-back (pattern) Generating a thin film pattern by depositing a blanket metallization, then generating a pattern by selective etching, generally using photolithographic processes. 

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