Donor-Acceptor Photosensitive Material for Super-Resolution Photolithography
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photolithography and optical recording methods are limited by the spatial resolution imposed by the wavelength of laser light, which restricts the observation, processing, and recording capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The use of a photosensitive material comprising a donor and an acceptor pair that exploits nonlinear optical effects through energy transfer or charge transfer, allowing for improved spatial resolution by utilizing high-order nonlinear responses and optimizing intermolecular distances for enhanced Foerster Resonant Energy Transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional photolithography uses laser light with a fixed wavelength, then the process is simple and reliable, but the spatial resolution is limited by the diffraction limit (about half the wavelength)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite photosensitive material system consisting of a donor substance and an acceptor substance. The donor absorbs excitation light and transfers energy to the acceptor through Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), enabling nonlinear optical response that improves spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit while maintaining process simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the photosensitive material by introducing substances with specific absorption and emission characteristics. The donor is selected to absorb excitation light at a specific wavelength and the acceptor is selected to receive energy at a different wavelength, creating a nonlinear response that enables super-resolution imaging
2Manufacturing precision
If the laser wavelength is reduced to improve spatial resolution, then the resolution increases, but the wavelength cannot be reduced indefinitely due to physical constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an energy intermediary system where the donor substance acts as a mediator between the excitation light and the acceptor substance. The donor absorbs high-energy excitation light and transfers energy to the acceptor, which then emits at a lower energy wavelength, effectively converting energy levels to achieve super-resolution without requiring extremely short wavelengths
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the energy parameters by using a donor-acceptor pair with specific energy level differences. The donor absorbs photons at one energy level and the acceptor emits at a different energy level, creating a nonlinear optical response that enables spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit of the excitation light wavelength
3Manufacturing precision
If nonlinear optical effects like two-photon absorption are used to improve spatial resolution, then the resolution increases, but near-infrared light with long wavelength must be used which reduces the resolution benefit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wavelength parameters by using a donor-acceptor energy transfer system where the excitation wavelength, emission wavelength, and energy transfer wavelength are all different. This allows using visible light excitation instead of near-infrared, achieving super-resolution without the penalty of using long wavelengths for excitation
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 approach enables finer photolithography and higher density optical recording beyond the diffraction limit, achieving improved spatial resolution and storage density by leveraging nonlinear optical responses.
Implementation Method 1
an acceptor which is excited by Förster resonance energy transfer or charge transfer from the excited donor
Implementation Method 2
a photopolymerization initiator that initiates photopolymerization of a photosensitive monomer
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
Provided is a nonlinear optical material an optical recording maternal, an optical recording method, a photosensitive material, a photopolymerization initiator, and a photosensitizer. One exemplary aspect of the present invention is a photosensitive material used for photolithography for forming a pattern by irradiating a photoresist with excitation light which includes a donor molecule 11 that is excited by the excitation light, and an acceptor molecule 12 that is excited by energy transfer or charge transfer from the excited donor 11.