Atomic Beam Lithography via Porous Mask Diffraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current beam-based mask lithography techniques face challenges in achieving high resolution for mass-production due to limitations in mask transparency and material requirements, especially in the semiconductor industry, where the resolution is around 20 nm, and the next generation EUV lithography is costly and faces challenges with mask materials and resist compatibility.
Innovation Solution
A method using a porous mask material with openings that are filled to create a pattern, allowing an atomic or molecular beam to penetrate and form a desired pattern on a substrate, achieving resolutions in the range of Angstroms to nanometers by operating in the Fraunhofer regime, with the mask pattern being a Fourier transform of the desired substrate pattern.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If photonic beams (lasers) are used for mass-production lithography, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to diffraction limits and 20 nm resolution ceiling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces photonic beams with atomic or molecular beams for lithography. Atomic beams have much shorter de Broglie wavelengths compared to photon wavelengths at equivalent energies, enabling sub-10 nm resolution while maintaining mass-production throughput through parallel processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the patterning beam from photons to atoms/molecules. This parameter change enables exploitation of matter wave properties with shorter wavelengths, directly overcoming the diffraction-limited resolution of photonic lithography while allowing continued use of mask-based parallel processing for high productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If EUV lithography is used to achieve higher resolution, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and cost worsen due to enormous production costs of lithography devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes atomic beams for expensive EUV photonic systems. Atomic beam sources can be implemented with significantly simpler and cheaper apparatus compared to EUV light sources requiring complex laser systems, mirrors, and vacuum chambers, thereby reducing device complexity and cost while achieving comparable or superior resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing from photonic to atomic beams, the patent accesses a regime where wavelength is determined by atomic mass and velocity rather than photon energy, enabling short wavelengths (high resolution) with much lower system complexity and cost than EUV photonics.
3Ease of manufacture
If photonic lithography masks are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision worsens due to limitations in mask transparency and material requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the interaction mechanism between the beam and mask from photonic absorption/transmission to atomic scattering/absorption. Atomic beams interact differently with materials, allowing use of mask materials that are easier to manufacture with precise patterns while providing better contrast and resolution, as atomic beams can be blocked by much thinner or less complex mask structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances lithographic resolution and reduces material demands by using a porous mask structure that allows for the formation of patterns on substrates with dimensions down to the atomic scale, improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of pattern formation in the semiconductor industry.
Implementation Method 1
directing the atomic or molecular beam through the patterned mask onto a substrate, whereby a pattern is formed on the substrate by interaction with the proportion of the atomic or molecular beam which penetrates through the mask
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of forming a desired pattern on a substrate comprising the steps of a) generating an atomic or molecular beam, in particular a beam of He atoms; b) providing a mask having a desired pattern such as a Fourier transform of the desired pattern on the substrate; c) directing the atomic or molecular beam through the patterned mask onto a substrate, whereby a pattern is formed on the substrate by interaction with the proportion of the atomic or molecular beam which penetrates through the mask, which pattern is based on the pattern of the mask, wherein the patterned mask is prepared by a method comprising d) providing a porous starting mask material having openings of a size which allow the atomic or molecular beam to penetrate through; e) creating the desired pattern on the mask by filling a proportion of the openings of the mask which thereby become non-transparent for the atomic or molecular beam. The method of the present invention is useful for preparing conducting circuit structures (micro-chips) or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) or structures for micro/nano fluidics or nanostructured surfaces in general, ie. hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces or reflective/antireflective surfaces.