As photolithography research moves toward extremely short wavelengths of ultra-violet light, one group at the University of Maryland is proposing multi-photon photoresists that allow visible light to achieve nanoscale resolution that is inversely dependent on exposure time. The new multi-photon technique, called Resolution Augmentation through Photo-Induced Deactivation (RAPID), uses one laser to initiate exposure in the photoresist and a second to complete it, allowing full exposure of only the nanoscale overlapping areas of the two focused beams. The researchers have already perfected the technique for use in the selective polymerization of 3-D materials on-chip. Using what is called Multi-photon Absorption Polymerization (MAP), the team has fabricated tiny inductors on chips. RAPID is a follow-on effort to use multi-photon absorption with photoresists to achieve nanoscale resolution with focused visible light, delaying or possible eliminating the need to move to extreme ultra-violet light sources (EUV). The technique works at normal atmospheric pressure, unlike EUV with requires processing in a vacuum. Instead, a special photo-initiator in the resist is activated by one laser, then deactivated by a second, realizing a phenomenon the researchers call proportional velocity (PROVE), which yields smaller features for higher exposures. Next the researchers plan to test their technique of the wafer scale, in contrast to the point-by-point demonstrations they have given so far. The team estimates that RAPID will be ready for commercialization in about 10 years.
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