Patent · US Expired

X-ray lithography using holographic images

US5612986A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
8References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 22, 1995
Grant dateMar 18, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 22, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03H2001/0094
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methods for forming X-ray images having 0.25 .mu.m minimum line widths on X-ray sensitive material are presented. A holgraphic image of a desired circuit pattern is projected onto a wafer or other image-receiving substrate to allow recording of the desired image in photoresist material. In one embodiment, the method uses on-axis transmission and provides a high flux X-ray source having modest monochromaticity and coherence requirements. A layer of light-sensitive photoresist material on a wafer with a selected surface is provided to receive the image(s). The hologram has variable optical thickness and variable associated optical phase angle and amplitude attenuation for transmission of the X-rays. A second embodiment uses off-axis holography. The wafer receives the holographic image by grazing incidence reflection from a hologram printed on a flat metal or other highly reflecting surface or substrate. In this second embodiment, an X-ray beam with a high degree of monochromaticity and spatial coherence is required.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.