Plasmonic lithography using phase mask
US9116430B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 28, 2014 |
| Grant date | Aug 25, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 28, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03F7/70283
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In the proposed plasmonic nanolithography technique a transparent mask is brought into physical contact with a metal on a substrate that is coated with a photoresist. The mask is not made of metal or other material that supports surface plasmons. The metal layer is exposed to radiation of a characteristic vacuum wavelength through the mask and the photoresist or through the substrate. The mask features and the vacuum wavelength of the radiation are chosen so that the radiation excites surface plasmons at the interface between the metal and the photoresist. The excitation of surface plasmons allows for the exposure and generation of features which are well-below the free space diffraction limit and small compared to the size of the features in the mask.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.