What is an Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) System?
An Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) system is an advanced exposure system used for high-precision patterning at the nanometer scale.
The EBL process consists of the following steps
1. Resist coating – A resist layer is applied to the sample.
2. Exposure – The resist is exposed to an electron beam, which breaks the main chains in a positive tone resist or crosslinks the chains in a negative tone resist.
3. Development – The resist is developed, forming patterns according to the desired design.
Figure 1: Electron Beam Lithography: EBL
The key component of an EBL system is the column. Electrons are accelerated at the top of the column and focused through multiple electromagnetic lenses. The beam is squeezed to a minimum diameter of 2 nm. Since the electron beam can be precisely scanned as needed, patterns can be exposed with single-nanometer accuracy.
Figure 2: EBL System Column and Beam Diameter. The column houses the electron gun, accelerator, and electron optics system.
EBL-fabricated patterns are used in various cutting-edge fields, including:
- IC manufacturing
- Quantum computing
- Power electronics
- Optical devices
- Bio devices
- New material development