SOFT X-RAY SUBMICRON LITHOGRAPHY USING MULTIPLY CHARGED IONS

摘要

Apparatus and methods for submicron lithography of semiconductor materials, circuits and other objects. A source (10) of multiply charged ions (2) is applied to a thin layer of electrically conductive material (54). The recombination of ions and free electrons in the layer produced soft x-ray radiation which is used to irradiate an object (50). The object may include a semiconductor substrate, an x-ray sensitive resist, and an x-ray absorbing mask for forming semiconductor devices. The soft x-rays are produced by careful selection of the type and energy of multiply charged ions and the thickness of the thin electrically conductive layer, which may be a light element metal.