Numerical and experimental study of nanolithography using nanoscale C-shaped aperture

摘要

Nanoscale ridge apertures have been demonstrated to be used for high-resolution lithography. To improve the performance of nanolithography, it is necessary to study the characteristics of near-field distribution. In this paper, we perform numerical and experimental study of C-shaped nanoscale ridge aperture to analyze its detailed field distribution for contact lithography. It is found that the high imaging contrast, which is necessary for good quality lithography, is achieved within the optical near field and decays quickly with the increasing distance. We compare the C-shaped nanoscale aperture with regular shape apertures to show its advantages for producing high-transmission field intensity with high imaging contrast. It is also found that C-shaped nanoscale aperture with a smaller ridge and embedded in aluminum film can obtain better lithography result due to its enhanced transmission and high imaging contrast.