Mechanical system and dynamic control in photolithography for nanoscale fabrication: A critical review

Abstract

As one of the most advanced and precise equipment in the world, a photolithography scanner is able to fabricate nanometer-scale devices on a chip. To realize such a small dimension, the optical system is the fundamental, but the mechanical system often becomes the bottleneck. In the photolithography, the exposure is a dynamic process. The accuracy and precision of the movement are determined by the mechanical system, which is even more difficult to control compared with the optical system. In the mechanical system, there are four crucial components: the reticle and wafer stages, the linear motor, the metrology system, and the control system. They work together to secure the reticle and substrate locating at the correct position, which determines the overlay and alignment performance in the lithography. In this paper, the principles of these components are reviewed, and the development history of the mechanical system is introduced.

Interfacial Photopolymerization: A Method for Light-Based Printing of Thermoplastics

“…Methods for scalable manufacturing of polymeric materials with tailored geometries and surface topographies have been instrumental to many industries and applications, including filtration/separation, microelectronics, photonics, biotechnology, , and tissue engineering. , In this regard, many photocurable polymers are used in high-throughput manufacturing of thin films with micro- and nanoscale patterning, engineered coatings, and digital printing. These methods include 2D micro- and nanoscale processes such as photolithography, ultraviolet (UV) inkjet printing, , and the formation of three-dimensional objects through vat polymerization additive manufacturing (or 3D printing). − …”