Computational rule-based approach for corner correction of non-Manhattan geometries in mask aligner photolithography.

In proximity mask aligner photolithography, diffraction of light at the mask pattern is the predominant source for image shape distortions such as line end shortening and corner rounding. One established method to mitigate the impact of diffraction is optical proximity correction. This method relies on a deliberate sub-resolution modification of photomask features to counteract such shape distortions, with the goal to improve pattern fidelity and uniformity of printed features.

Improvements on the uniformity of large-area microlens arrays in Fused Silica.

The uniformity of large microlens arrays in Fused Silica is governed by the production process. It comprises photolithographic patterning of a spin-coated layer of photoresist on a 200mm wafer with a molten resist reflow process and subsequent dry etching. By investigating systematic influences throughout the production process we show how to steer the lens production process with a single degree of freedom to improve the uniformity of the final microlens array.

Printing sub-micron structures using Talbot mask-aligner lithography with a 193 nm CW laser light source.

A continuous improvement of resolution in mask-aligner lithography is sought after to meet the requirements of an ever decreasing minimum feature size in back-end processes. For periodic structures, utilizing the Talbot effect for lithography has emerged as a viable path. Here, by combining the Talbot effect with a continuous wave laser source emitting at 193 nm, we demonstrate successfully the fabrication of periodic arrays in silicon substrates with sub-micron feature sizes.

Mask-aligner lithography using a continuous-wave diode laser frequency-quadrupled to 193 nm.

We present a mask-aligner lithographic system operated with a frequency-quadrupled continuous-wave diode laser emitting at 193 nm. For this purpose, a 772 nm diode laser is amplified by a tapered amplifier in the master-oscillator power-amplifier configuration. The emission wavelength is upconverted twice, using LBO and KBBF nonlinear crystals in second-harmonic generation enhancement cavities.

Speckle orientation in paraxial optical systems.

The statistical properties of speckles in paraxial optical systems depend on the system parameters. In particular, the speckle orientation and the lateral dependence (x and y) of the longitudinal speckle size can vary significantly. For example, the off-axis longitudinal correlation length remains equal to the on-axis size for speckles in a Fourier transform system, while it decreases dramatically as the observation position moves off axis in a Fresnel system.