Hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) for use in nano imprint lithography

Innovations are being researched, using materials science, in the areas of sub- 100nm feature production. Current methods such as electron beam lithography (EBL), Extreme Ultra-Violet Lithography (EUV), and Nano-imprint lithography (NIL) are currently being studied to deliver a high throughput, low-cost process, and high field size for nano-lithography. EBL is a technique which can generate very small features (sub-10nm) but is a serial process which has undesirable time constraints. EUV is the latest generation of photo-lithography which can produce 35nm features, but has a limited area of exposure. NIL is a high resolution high throughput process, but still has time constraints with imprinter fabrication and pattern predictability. Important aspects of NIL are the creation of imprinters and the anti-adhesive layers used to protect the imprinters. Hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) is a spin on dielectric with properties of a negative e-beam resist which can generate a SiO2 like material. This can then be used as an imprinter for NIL work with significant process advantages over the standard technique for fabricating imprinters. HSQ has been observed to also have a time dependency factor during the electron beam process. For NIL to work effectively anti-stick layers are needed to ensure the correct designs are imprinted. Anti-stick layers such as F13, and Nanonex create a monolayer of atoms designed to reduce the effects of surface bonding on the nano-scale.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S. Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Clark, Nathaniel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Krchnavek, Robert

• Nanoimprint lithography
• Electrical and Computer Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/370

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1369