Electron beam lithography (EBL) system for nanofabrication of structures and devices

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The planned system is a high-resolution electron beam lithography (EBL) system with minimum aberration electron optics. The system will allow large effective write-fields through stitching with laser encoded stages and a “fixed-beam-moving-stage” option. In addition to providing conventional EBL, in-situ nanoprobing/topography measurements will be possible which is particularly relevant for the intended applications in organic electronics and biointegrated photonics where substrates often require delicate further manipulation or immediate testing after EBL.Optoelectronics based on organic semiconductors is a strategic strength at Universität zu Köln (UzK), with Prof. Klaus Meerholz having led these efforts for many years. With the recruitment of Humboldt-Professor Malte Gather, the tenure of Prof. Klas Lindfors and the start of the DFG Research Training Group 2591 on Template-designed Organic Electronics (TIDE) chaired by Meerholz, UzK and its Department of Chemistry are now further strengthening research on optoelectronics with emerging materials. In particular, the interest in organic electronics is expanded further in the direction of nanoscale (bio)photonics and plasmonics. Prior to moving to UzK, Gather has extensively used EBL at University of St Andrews (UK). Although he keeps close ties with his former affiliation, it is not practical to exclusively rely on the EBL available there. Lindfors also routinely employed EBL in his research before moving to UzK and as Juniorprofessor at UzK had limited access to another EBL machine in Cologne. With the Lindfors group now growing, significant further demand from the Gather group, the start of TIDE, and also given specific requirements on sample contamination and EBL performance by all three applicants, a dedicated EBL system is urgently needed.As part of Gather’s recruitment and the associated creation of the Centre for NanoBioPhotonics, UzK is establishing a new 120m2 cleanroom in the Chemistry Department. The EBL system will form the heart of this facility and will benefit from a number of complementary capabilities currently created or already existing, including photolithography (mask aligner and ‘mask-less’ exposure), deposition tools (sputter/thermal/e-beam PVD, ALD/CVD, printing) and etching facilities (ICP-RIE dry etch, wet etch cabinets). Together, this will allow fabrication of extended nanoscale structures in a contamination-free environment. This large-scale activity means that the applicants are in an excellent position to make the most of the capabilities of the proposed equipment, and also ensures that the facility will be heavily used. Scientifically, this will impact a range of activities in the area of materials research, including amongst others the generation of nanostructures in organic electronic devices (Meerholz/Gather), advances in photonics/plasmonics (Lindfors/Gather) and enabling new types of biointegrated devices for biomedical research (Gather/Schubert).