SBIR Phase II: Optical-Maskless-Lithography Equipment

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目是开发光学无掩模光刻技术的重要一步，该技术能够实现高分辨率，高吞吐量，灵活性，低成本和可扩展性。当前的光刻技术在光学投影光刻的情况下遭受高工具成本、高掩模成本和可重复性的问题，并且在扫描电子束光刻的情况下遭受高工具成本、非常低的吞吐量和高复杂性的问题。该公司的Zone-Plate-Array-Lithography（ZPAL）技术将缓解这些问题，同时在纳米图案化方面提供前所未有的灵活性。该项目包括两个主要目标：一是制造包含1000多个波带片的波带片阵列，每个波带片的数值孔径（NA）大于0.85;二是开发高精度对准子系统，可以实现20 nm的重叠精度，潜在的可扩展性低于5 nm。该项目的第一个推力的成功完成将导致在原型光刻系统中安装大阵列的高NA波带片，从而实现高分辨率和高吞吐量。在原型工具中成功实现对准子系统将满足替代技术无法比拟的精度规格。人们普遍认识到，复杂几何形状的纳米结构对于创造功能和实现纳米技术革命是不可或缺的。目前，可用于创建这种纳米结构的工具在灵活性、分辨率、成本和产量方面受到高度限制。基于ZPAL的工具有可能通过大幅减少开发周期和制造成本，在纳米结构的开发和制造中创造一个新的范例。由于没有掩模，该技术提供了灵活性，使纳米结构的设计者能够快速实现其硬件设计，用于原型设计甚至小批量制造。该公司的工具有潜力使各行各业的行业，如微机电设备（MEMs），纳米机电设备（NEM），纳米电子，纳米磁性，集成光学，光子学，生物芯片，微流体，仅举几例。最初的目标客户是专用集成电路（ASIC）、化合物半导体和光掩模制造商。仅在ASIC行业，这些工具就有可能每年节省超过30亿美元。此外，该技术还可以提供经济高效、灵活的解决方案，以振兴和发展半导体行业的这一重要领域。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is a major step in the development of an optical-maskless lithography technology that is capable of high resolution, high throughput, flexibility, low cost, and extendibility. Current lithography technologies suffer from the problems of high tool costs, high mask costs, and inflexibility in the case of optical-projection lithography, and high tool costs, very low throughputs, and high complexity in the case of scanning electron- beam lithography. The company's Zone-Plate-Array-Lithography (ZPAL) technology will mitigate these issues, while providing unprecedented flexibility in nanopatterning. This project covers two major thrusts: one the manufacture of zone-plate arrays containing over 1000 zone plates, each with a numerical-aperture (NA) greater than 0.85, second the development of a high-accuracy alignment sub-system that can achieve overlay accuracy of 20nm with potential extendibility below 5nm. A successful completion of the first thrust of this project will result in large arrays of high-NA zone plates installed in the prototype lithography system, enabling high resolution and high throughput. A successful implementation of the alignment sub-system in the prototype tool will meet specifications of accuracy unmatched by alternate technologies. It is widely recognized that nanostructures of complex geometries are indispensable to create functionality and enable a nanotechnology revolution. At present, the tools that are available for the creation of such nanostructures are highly limited in flexibility, resolution, cost and throughput. The tools based on ZPAL have the potential to create a new paradigm in the development and manufacture of nanostructures by sharply reducing the development-cycle time and manufacturing costs. Being maskless, this technology provides flexibility by enabling the designers of nanostructures to quickly realize their designs in hardware for prototyping and even low-volume manufacturing. The company's tools have the potential to enable industries in a wide spectrum of industries such as micro-electro-mechanical devices (MEMs), nano-electro-mechanical devices (NEMs), nano-electronics, nano-magnetics, integrated optics, photonics, biochips, microfluidics, to name a few. Initial target customers are manufacturers of application-specific-integrated circuits (ASICs), compound semiconductors and photomasks. In the ASIC industry alone, the tools have the potential to enable savings of over $3B per year. Furthermore, this technology can provide the cost-effective, flexible solution required to revive and grow this important segment of the semiconductor industry.