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

计划中的系统是一个具有最小像差电子光学的高分辨率电子束光刻(EBL)系统。该系统将通过拼接激光编码台和“固定光束移动台”选项来实现大的有效写入场。除了提供传统的EBL，原位纳米探测/形貌测量将成为可能，这对于有机电子和生物集成光子学中的预期应用尤其相关，这些应用中的衬底通常需要在EBL之后进行精细的进一步操作或立即测试。基于有机半导体的光电子学是UZK大学的战略优势，Klaus Meerholz教授领导这些工作多年。随着洪堡教授的聘用，Klas Lindfors教授的任期，以及由Meerholz主持的DFG研究培训小组2591模板设计有机电子(TID)的成立，UZK及其化学系目前正在进一步加强对新兴材料光电子学的研究。特别是，对有机电子学的兴趣在纳米级(生物)光子学和等离子激元的方向上进一步扩大。在搬到UZK之前，Gest在圣安德鲁斯大学(英国)广泛使用EBL。尽管他与他以前的从属关系保持着密切的联系，但完全依赖那里提供的EBL是不现实的。在搬到尤兹克之前，林德福斯也经常在他的研究中使用EBL，作为尤兹克的三年级教授，他限制了在科隆使用另一台EBL机器的机会。随着Lindfors集团的不断壮大，GATER集团的进一步需求显著增加，潮汐的开始，以及所有三个申请者对样品污染和EBL性能的特殊要求，迫切需要一个专用的EBL系统。作为GATER招聘和相关的纳米生物光子学中心创建的一部分，UZK正在化学系建立一个新的120平方米的洁净室。EBL系统将构成该设施的核心，并将受益于目前创建或已经存在的许多补充能力，包括光刻(掩模对准器和无掩模曝光)、沉积工具(溅射/热/电子束PVD、ALD/CVD、印刷)和蚀刻设施(ICPRIE干法蚀刻、湿法蚀刻机柜)。总而言之，这将允许在无污染的环境中制造扩展的纳米结构。这一大型活动意味着申请者处于有利地位，能够最大限度地利用拟议设备的能力，并确保该设施将得到大量使用。从科学上讲，这将影响材料研究领域的一系列活动，其中包括在有机电子设备中产生纳米结构(Meerholz/Gest)、光子学/等离子激元的进展(Lindfors/Gest)以及使新型生物集成设备能够用于生物医学研究(Gest/Schubert)。

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).