Deep X-ray lithography processes for high resolution applications

1959年诺贝尔物理学奖获得者理查德·P·费曼的名言“底部有足够的空间”在今天比以往任何时候都更有说服力。微系统技术彻底改变了我们感知和控制物理世界的方式，330亿美元的全球最小商用单元市场预计将以11%至16%的年增长率[Nexus III市场分析]。微系统技术专注于制造特征尺寸约为人类头发直径的1/100的微型部件。硬盘读/写头、喷墨打印头喷嘴或数字投影系统等系统有力地支持了经济。其他部件通过允许在传感和驱动方面采用新的系统和解决方案来推动技术和科学进步，例如通过为空间飞行任务提供专门的滤光片或为X射线提供新颖的聚焦光学装置。在广泛的制造组合中，使用同步辐射的X射线光刻提供了特别出色的结构质量。然而，这项技术到目前为止还没有在加拿大使用。随着加拿大一代人以来最大的研究项目加拿大光源的投入使用，这项技术现在可以使用，因为正在开发SyLMAND，即用于微和纳米设备的同步加速器实验室。一项研究计划将确保SyLMAND不仅将X射线光刻技术带到加拿大，而且可以进行尖端研究，包括工艺技术和相关应用。这包括射频微系统方面的新方法，这将有助于改善无线通信，如手机、卫星通信和无线局域网所需。

The 1959 quote of Richard P. Feynman, Nobel Prize laureate in physics, that "there's plenty of room at the bottom" today holds more than ever. Microsystems technologies have revolutionized the way we perceive and control the physical world, and the world market of $33 billion US for smallest units commercially available is anticipating an annual growth of 11% to 16% [NEXUS III market analysis]. Microsystems technologies focus on fabricating miniaturized components with feature sizes on the order of 1/100 of the diameter of a human hair. Systems such as read/write heads for hard discs, inkjet printhead nozzles or digital projection systems strongly support the economy. Other components drive technical and scientific progress by allowing for new systems and solutions in sensing and actuating, for instance by providing specialized filters for space missions or novel focusing optics for X-rays. Among the broad fabrication portfolio, X-ray lithography using synchrotron radiation provides particularly outstanding structure quality. This technology, however, hasn't been available in Canada so far. With the Canadian Light Source, the largest research endeavor in Canada in a generation, getting operational, this technology now gets accessible as SyLMAND, the Synchrotron Laboartory for Micro and Nano Devices, is being developed. A research program will ensure that SyLMAND not only brings X-ray lithography to Canada, but that cutting-edge research can be carried out, including process technology and related applications. This includes novel approaches in radio frequency microsystems which will help to improve wireless communications, as required in cell phones, satellite communications and wireless LANs.