Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
10:25
Single-Digit Nanometer Electron-Beam Lithography with an Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope
Published on: September 14, 2018
Soft-x-ray projection lithography: printing of 0.2-microm features using a 20:1 reduction
Optics Letters
|September 22, 2009
Summary
Researchers achieved near diffraction-limited printing of 0.2-micrometer features using soft x-rays. This advancement in soft x-ray projection lithography utilized a Schwarzschild-type objective for high-resolution imaging.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Soft x-ray projection lithography offers potential for high-resolution patterning.
- Achieving diffraction-limited performance is crucial for next-generation microfabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate near diffraction-limited printing of sub-micrometer features using soft x-rays.
- To evaluate the imaging capabilities of a Schwarzschild-type objective in this wavelength range.
Main Methods:
- Utilized soft x-rays at approximately 36-nm wavelength.
- Employed an open-stencil transmission mask with 4-micrometer minimum features.
- Used a twentyfold-reduction Schwarzschild-type objective for imaging onto silicon wafers coated with e-beam resists.
Main Results:
- Achieved nearly diffraction-limited printing of 0.2-micrometer features.
- Demonstrated successful imaging and feature replication using the Schwarzschild optics.
Conclusions:
- Soft x-ray projection lithography is capable of producing sub-0.2-micrometer features.
- The Schwarzschild-type objective is effective for high-resolution soft x-ray imaging.
