Deep X-Ray Lithography for High Aspect Ratio Polymer Micro Structures

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Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) increasingly replace macroscopic devices for improved performance. Many MEMS processes to date are silicon-based and support a planar architecture. Extending the materials selection and increasing the structural height to enable a vertical-wall architecture would allow, e. g., higher throughput micro reactors or higher sensitivity micro sensors. Deep X-ray lithography (XRL) can theoretically produce such high quality polymer or metal microstructures. They can have a large structural height (up to millimeters) and optically smooth, vertical sidewalls. The aspect ratio, defined as the structural height relative to the minimum lateral dimensions, can exceed 100:1. XRL, however, requires synchrotron radiation from an electron storage ring and is an extremely complex process. Its full potential is far from being reached, and XRL therefore still remains a niche technology with limited availability.******The overarching question of my research is how we can contribute to fundamental improvements of XRL process technologies to allow for widespread application in the fabrication of high quality micro devices. This drives my objectives over the next 5 years to innovate XRL processing by developing high quality and rapid prototyping XRL mask making processes, and to apply these capabilities in the microfabrication of advanced X-ray optical elements and radio frequency (RF) MEMS. To achieve these goals, we will use the world-unique capabilities of my lab SyLMAND, the Synchrotron Laboratory for Micro and Nano Devices at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, which I had designed to overcome pre-existing bottlenecks in XRL process capabilities and which started operations last year. Pursuing our goals is also based on our recently developed disruptive new XRL mask fabrication technology to improve fabrication timelines and cost by about an order of magnitude.******We will develop a high resolution XRL mask technology that increases the achievable lateral resolution and vertical structure height of our XRL devices by about an order of magnitude each. This is a precondition to innovate X-ray optical elements using XRL techniques to focus synchrotron radiation for analysis in basic science and technology. Applications areas of such ultra high aspect ratio refractive lenses and zone plates include environmental and biological sciences and material design. Another outcome will be the fabrication of vertical wall RF MEMS components where smooth, high aspect ratio sidewalls are utilized to collaboratively develop wireless devices. We will demonstrate an advanced integrated, compact mm-wave artificial antenna array suitable for the emerging 5G wireless application standard used in, e.g., next-generation cell phones. In executing this research program, 7 HQP will be trained to fill demand of experts in key technologies such as materials development and communications technologies.