Maskless micromachining with high-energy focused ion beams

摘要

High Energy Focused Ion Beam (HEFIB) direct writing is proving to be an attractive and powerful maskless lithographytechnique for production of high aspect ratio 3-D microstructures in polymer resists and semiconductors. HEFIB withProton beam (P-beam writing) offers several unique advantages for microfabrication applications: (a) the focused beamis scanned directly across the sample (no mask), (b) the range of the beam in the sample is well defined with minimallateral straggling than any other techniques, (c) use of different energies allows different exposure depths, (d) complexshapes are possible and (e) patterns can be made within short exposure time. These characteristics allow P-beam writingto be applied in several areas of microfabrication including (a) rapid (and cheaper) prototyping of 3-D microstructures,(b) custom built structures for basic research, (c) mask production and (d) stamp and mold manufacturing. Recently wehave implemented high energy P-beam direct writing with a nuclear microprobe at the Louisiana Accelerator Center(LAC). We are presenting some of the modular structures illustrating the capabilities of this maskless micromachiningtechnique and possible application into Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices.