Electron Beam Lithography: Past and Present

Course: ECE 730-10
Professor: Dr. Siva Sivoththaman
Term: Spring 2003

As optical UV lithography reaches its limits of 100 nm, next-generation lithography tools will be needed. Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) is a strong candidate and has the capability to reach resolutions of up to 10-20 nm. EBL systems have a long history yet are only starting to receive attention in the past ten years, much of which is focused on improving their throughput in order to make EBL systems suitable for mass production type work. The electron optics compoents which make up and EBL system, the resists, the resolution-limiting effects and various systems are discussed. Future technologies such as SCALPEL and PREVAIL are also investigated.