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

计划的系统是一个高分辨率的电子束光刻（EBL）系统与最小的像差电子光学。该系统将允许通过与激光编码阶段和“固定光束移动阶段”选项的拼接来实现大的有效写入场。除了提供传统的EBL，原位纳米探测/形貌测量将是可能的，这与有机电子和生物集成光子学中的预期应用特别相关，其中衬底通常需要在EBL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科隆大学（UzK）的战略优势，Klaus Meerholz教授多年来一直在领导这些工作。随着洪堡教授Malte Gather的招聘，Klas Lindfors教授的任期以及由Meerholz主持的DFG研究培训小组2591模板设计有机电子学（TIDE）的开始，UzK及其化学系正在进一步加强新兴材料的光电子学研究。特别是，在有机电子学的兴趣进一步扩大在纳米（生物）光子学和等离子体的方向。在搬到UzK之前，Gather在圣安德鲁斯大学（英国）广泛使用EBL。虽然他与他以前的附属机构保持密切联系，但完全依赖那里的EBL是不切实际的。Lindfors在搬到UzK之前也经常在他的研究中使用EBL，并且作为UzK的初级教授，在科隆使用另一台EBL机器的机会有限。随着Lindfors集团的不断发展，Gather集团的进一步需求，TIDE的开始，以及所有三个申请人对样品污染和EBL性能的具体要求，迫切需要一个专用的EBL系统。作为Gather招聘和创建纳米生物光子学中心的一部分，UzK正在化学系建立一个新的120平方米的洁净室。EBL系统将成为该设施的核心，并将受益于目前创建或已经存在的一些互补能力，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（ICP-RIE干法蚀刻，湿法蚀刻柜）。总之，这将允许在无污染的环境中制造扩展的纳米级结构。这一大规模的活动意味着申请人处于一个非常有利的地位，可以充分利用拟议设备的能力，并确保该设施将得到大量使用。这将影响材料研究领域的一系列活动，包括有机电子器件中纳米结构的产生（Meerholz/Gather），光子学/等离子体的进步（Lindfors/Gather）以及为生物医学研究提供新型生物集成器件（Gather/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).