Photo-Mask-Based Multi-Beam-Interference Lithography for Wafer-Scale-Integration of Photonic Crystal Devices

目的传统的光刻技术虽然发展很快，但不能一步完成三维结构。然而，需要这样的结构来实现光子晶体器件，该光子晶体器件被设想为制造第一个真正密集的集成光子电路和系统。多光束干涉光刻(MBIL)为制备光子晶体器件提供了一种很有前途的技术。然而，在目前的形式下，MBIL与1)微电子制造或2)多个电路元件的集成不兼容。本研究的目的是通过开发一种新的光掩模概念来克服这些缺点，该概念允许在整个晶片上并行地制造和集成多种优化的光子晶体器件。智能价值然而，实现这种制造突破的道路受到当前可用干涉图案的有限设计空间的阻碍。这项研究的学术价值在于戏剧性地定义和应用了一套详尽的原始-晶格-矢量方向相等对比度的条件，这第一次表明了正负光刻胶都可以使用的干涉图案的充分丰富。这些结果将影响干涉光刻的所有应用，包括这一提议的光掩模的实现。广泛影响使用MBIL来生产密集集成光子电路和系统，反过来将使安全方面的发展(通过传感、不间断通信、控制等)成为可能。以及经济增长(通过提供对广泛的商业、医疗、金融、研究和数据库信息的高效交互访问的系统)。

ObjectiveConventional lithographic techniques, though highly developed, cannot produce three-dimensional structures in a single step. However, such structures are needed to implement the photonic crystal devices which are envisioned to produce the first truly dense integrated photonic circuits and systems. Multiple Beam Interference Lithography (MBIL) offers a promising technique for the fabrication of photonic crystal devices. However, MBIL, in its present form, is not compatible with 1) microelectronics manufacturing or with 2) integration of multiple circuit elements. The objective of the present research is to overcome these shortcomings by developing a new photo-mask concept that allows the fabrication and integration of a multiplicity of optimized photonic crystal devices, in parallel, across an entire wafer.Intellectual MeritHowever, the path to achieving such a fabrication breakthrough is impeded by the limited design space for interference patterns that is currently available. The intellectual merit of the present research lies in the dramatic definition and application of an exhaustive set of conditions for primitive-lattice-vector direction equal contrasts, which, for the first time, show the full richness of interference patterns usable with both positive and negative photoresists. These results will affect all applications of interference lithography including the photo-mask implementation of this proposal.Broader ImpactThe use of MBIL to produce dense integrated photonic circuits and systems will, in turn, enable developments in security (through sensing, uninterruptible communications, control, etc.) and in economic growth (through systems that provide efficient interactive access to a broad range of business, medical, financial, research, and data base information.).