Deep x-ray lithography for high aspect ratio applications

我们的技术驱动的世界不断要求提高性能的所有类别的设备，从手机到汽车传感器，从医疗植入物到硬盘读/写头。这通常需要减小几何尺寸，因此微米和纳米技术越来越经常地取代传统的制造技术。一种提供出色结构质量并因此提供器件性能的制造方法是深X射线光刻（XRL）和LIGA工艺。这些技术最终将在加拿大的SyLMAND，在加拿大光源在萨斯卡通的微型和纳米器件同步加速器实验室，得到运作。 XRL技术允许广泛的应用，但仍然需要大量的研究工作来充分利用潜力。因此，Sven Achenbach博士将SyLMAND设计成一个独特的研究机构。他的研究将部分集中在XRL掩模制造上。它的质量限制了微结构的最终结果，因此需要得到优化。关键问题包括最小微特征分辨率和最大整体掩模尺寸。更高的分辨率允许更小、更先进的设备，以及更大组件的更好公差。更大的掩模面积使得能够一次处理更多的器件，或者更复杂的分布式结构。与此同时，该技术必须能够实现可靠且具有成本效益的掩模制造，这两者都带来了重大挑战。SyLMAND提供开发和应用高级掩模的独特能力。 为了有效地应用微技术，使用优化掩模制造的单个微组件需要集成到更复杂的微系统中。这在XRL中尤为复杂，相关研究是一个额外的推力。 掩模技术和系统集成领域的成果将被合并，以协同开发下一代无线设备，这些设备是蜂窝电话和无线局域网等领域所需的。

Our technologically driven world constantly demands improved performance in all classes of devices ranging from cellular phones to automotive sensors and from medical implants to hard disk read/write heads. This generally requires reduced geometric dimensions, and micro- and nanotechnology are therefore more and more often replacing conventional fabrication technologies. One fabrication approach delivering outstanding structure quality, and therefore device performance, is deep X-ray lithography (XRL) and the LIGA process. These techniques will finally be available in Canada as SyLMAND, the Synchrotron Laboratory for Micro and Nano Devices at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, gets operational. XRL technologies allow for a broad range of applications, but still require significant research efforts to fully exploit the potential. Dr. Sven Achenbach therefore designed SyLMAND to become a unique research facility. His research will partly focus on XRL mask fabrication. Its quality limits the final results of the microstructures, and therefore needs to get optimized. Key issues include minimum micro feature resolution and maximum overall mask size. Better resolution allows for smaller, more advanced devices and better tolerances in larger components. Larger mask areas enable more devices to be processed at a time, or more complicated, distributed structures. At the same time, the technology must enable reliable and cost-effective mask fabrication, both of which impose major challenges. SyLMAND offers unique capabilities to develop and apply advanced masks. To effectively apply micro technology, individual micro components fabricated with an optimized mask need to get integrated into more complex micro systems. This is particularly complicated in XRL, and related research is an additional thrust. Results from the mask technology and systems integration areas will get merged to collaboratively develop next-generation wireless devices which are required, for instance, in cellular phones and wireless LANs.