Doppler writing and linewidth control for scanning beam interference lithography

Abstract

Scanning beam interference lithography (SBIL) is a technique which is used to create large-area periodic patterns with high phase accuracy. This is accomplished by combining interference lithography and an X-Y scanning stage. We previously reported parallel scan mode in which the stage scans in a direction parallel to the interference fringes. Here we present a method called Doppler scanning. In this mode, the stage is scanned perpendicular to the interference fringes. In order to obtain high-contrast latent gratings in the exposed photoresist, several parameters must be controlled. These parameters include vibration, fringe period error, time delay (for Doppler writing), dose, beam overlap, and polarization. In this article we present results of how the time delay, fringe period error, and exposure dose effect the contrast and linewidth of our latent grating images. Furthermore, SBIL has a unique ability to read gratings in a metrology mode configuration. This article also describes how Doppler metrology mode allows us to measure the time delay of our system.