EUV Lithography
In the field of micro- and nanotechnology, periodic structure arrangements with dimensions below 100 nanometers are required for a variety of applications, for example for nanophotonics, microchip fabrication or realization of quantum structures. For this purpose, a laboratory-based EUV lithography system was developed at the chair TOS which allows the patterning of photoactive materials in the EUV spectral range. With the realized setup, different application areas can be addressed:
- Characterization of industrial EUV photoresists with respect to contrast, resolution, and sensitivity at a wavelength of 13.5 nm
- Large-area nanostructuring for research applications (fabrication of nano-optical components, quantum dots etc.) at a wavelength of 10.9 nm
- investigation of the interaction of EUV radiation with various surfaces for nanoscale patterning
For nanoscale patterning, specially developed transmission masks are used, which are brought either into contact with the photoactive material or placed at a defined distance. By utilizing interference effects, complex structures can be generated that exceed the design of the transmission mask. Currently achievable structure sizes are below 30 nm and will be scaled to even smaller structure sizes by the continuous development of equipment technology, exposure processes as well as mask and photoresist technology.
Several research topics are addressed in the group:
- Ongoing development of the experimental setup with respect to increasing resolution, throughput, and extending application possibilities
- Ongoing development of theoretical models, the simulation software, and design algorithms for the design of high resolution and complex transmission masks
- Design of efficient EUV optics to increase imaging quality and throughput
- Fabrication of nanoscale transmission masks and lattice structures
- Addressing research questions arising from applications e.g. fundamental studies on material interaction with EUV, scattered light measurements, and resist characterizations
Bachelor and master theses on all research topics are continuously advertised or made possible on request.