Title: Prospects of scanning probe microscopy for nanometer-scale lithography.
Abstract:The current trend of shrinking line width patterns in semiconductor devices, well beyond the 0.25 micrometer barrier, will require new breakthroughs in both lithography processing and resist materials...The current trend of shrinking line width patterns in semiconductor devices, well beyond the 0.25 micrometer barrier, will require new breakthroughs in both lithography processing and resist materials by the end of the decade. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) offers one potential prospect for bridging the micrometer to nanometer line width barrier. The ultimate in lithography processing, the manipulation of individual atoms, has already been clearly demonstrated using SPM. New resists, such as self assembled monolayer (SAM) films, will also be needed for nanometer-scale fabrication. Recent progress using SPM as a nanolithography tool is reviewed and its prospect as a viable alternative will be discussed.Read More