Fabrication of Nanometer and Micrometer Structures with Continuous Reliefs

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This invention presents a method to fabricate nanometer- and micrometer-scale 3D structures with both sharp and smooth, continuous surface profiles by combining 3D electron beam lithography with thermal reflow techniques. The process modulates the etching and reflowing of photoresists using controlled radiation exposure and temperature to create intricate multilevel patterns, which can then be transferred into substrates like silicon. The method allows for precise fabrication of complex features—ranging from sharp-edged steps to smooth slopes—with high spatial resolution, suitable for advanced applications in optics and nanotechnology.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Production of precise 3D nanoimprint stamps for nanofabrication and replication processes.
• Manufacturing diffractive and refractive micro-optical components, such as blazed gratings, aspherical and cylindrical microlenses, and lens arrays.
• Development of calibration standards for atomic force microscopy (AFM) with controlled slopes and reliefs.
• Creating alignment features, spacers, and holders for optical elements like fiber optics or waveguides.
• Fabrication of advanced photonic devices and nanophotonic surfaces needing tailored surface roughness and profile control.
• Replication of complex relief patterns into various substrates for use in electronics, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), and biotechnological devices.
• Generation of molds or stamps with inclined sidewalls to ease demolding during nanoimprinting, injection molding, or embossing.
• Templates for guiding biological cell growth or fabrication of biosensors requiring specific topographies.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables the fabrication of complex 3D micro- and nanostructures with both sharp and smooth features on the same platform.
• Offers very high spatial and vertical resolution, with lateral details down to 10 nm and controlled relief depths.
• Achieves smooth surfaces and sharp corners, which are difficult to obtain together by previous methods.
• Flexible in material choice and layer configurations, allowing use with various polymers, biopolymers, and hybrid multilayers.
• Improves performance of optical and photonic components due to higher quality surface profiles (e.g., greater diffraction efficiency, reduced scattering).
• Allows mass replication via stamping or molding processes, facilitating scalable manufacturing.
• Process can be tuned by controlling exposure dose, development time, and reflow parameters for custom structure design.
• Applicable to a wide range of substrates (e.g., silicon, glass, metals), increasing versatility in device fabrication.

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Patent Abstract

3-D electron beam lithography and thermal reflow was combined to fabricate structures with multilevel and continuous profiles. New shapes, smooth surfaces and sharp corners were achieved. By using exposure with variable dose, up to 20 steps were fabricated in a 500 nm thick resists with a lateral resolution of 200 nm. Steps were reflowed into continuous slopes by thermal post-processing, and transferred into silicon substrates by proportional plasma etching. The method can be used for the fabrication of 3-D nanoimprint stamps with both sharp features and continuous profiles.