Thermal scanning probe lithography using Parylene C as thermal resist

Abstract

Thermal scanning probe lithography is a direct-write patterning method that uses a heated scanning probe tip to remove thermal resist. The most widely used thermal resist is polyphthalaldehyde. Another alternative thermal resist, Parylene C is introduced in this letter. It has been found that Parylene C has a wide process latitude as a thermal resist under our experimental conditions. A high resolution of ∼40 nm can be achieved in our optimised process. In addition, patterns in parylene layer can be transferred directly into the substrate with deep reactive ion etching without an additional hard mask, thus simplifying the fabrication process.

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“…Aside from that, it has demonstrated other advantages over other lithographic processes. These include low costs, 3D patterning, high-quality patterning, and so on [76].…”

“…One significant disadvantage is that SPL, particularly mechanical SPL (m-SPL), which uses force to pattern, is relatively slow [76]. This can be overcome by using different types of SPL, such as thermal SPL [77].…”

“…This can be overcome by using different types of SPL, such as thermal SPL [77]. Thermal SPL (t-SPL) uses concentrated heat to activate endothermic decomposition and evaporation of thermally sensitive resist [76].…”