To groove inner surfaces of cylindrical pipes, mechanical machining was mainly used. However, it was difficult to groove complex and minute shapes precisely. Considering such circumstances, a new lithography system for printing patterns on inner surfaces of cylindrical pipes was thought up and investigated here. In the system, patterns on a flat reticle were projected onto an inner surface of cylindrical pipes using a cone mirror. In addition, observation optics for monitoring pattern images on the inner surface was added. By placing a beam splitter between the reticle and the projection lens, reflected images of the pipe inside were observed using a CCD camera and a monitor. After the position of cylindrical pipe was adjusted as the reflected images became most clear, patterns were printed. Transparent glass pipes with an outer diameter of 16.5 mm and an inner diameter of 14 mm were used as specimens, because it was possible to check the printed resist patterns from the outside. When negative resist PMER N-CA3000 PM was coated on the inner surface in 10-μm thick, and a reticle with concentric circular patterns was used, circumferential 50-μm line and space patterns were printed. Some subjects to be improved were clarified also.
Qualities of liquid crystal display panels are controlled using two-dimensional code marks in the manufacturing processes. The code marks are printed conventionally by projection lithography using a two dimensional reflection switching device and a laser diode or laser delineation lithography. However, both the specialized projection system, and the laser delineation system are expensive. For this reason, a new inexpensive optical lithography system using an optical fiber matrix and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were investigated here. Circular 125-μm optical fibers were squared and arranged in a matrix, and a LED matrix with 8 rows and 8 columns was prepared as a light source. The central wavelength of the LED was 465 nm. Each optical fiber was connected to each LED one-to-one, and bright and dark arrangements at the fiber end were used as a binary mask. Patterns were printed on silicon wafers coated with a 1-μm thick positive resist using a handmade 1/10 reduction projection exposure system. Fairly good checker patterns with sizes of almost 12 μm square were printed using the alternately lit fiber ends. On the other hand, printed arbitrary patterns showed some irregularities. The irregular shapes and sizes of element patterns, and notches and steps at the stitched parts should be improved by adjusting the light intensities of LEDs more carefully and precisely in the next stage.
Applicability of scan projection lithography using a gradient-index (GRIN) lens array as a projection lens to printing of rough patterns in thick resist films with thicknesses more than 100 μm was researched by analyzing optics parameters and investigating actual patterning characteristics using a thick negative resist SU-8. From the analyses, it was found that the numerical aperture value of the GRIN lens array was considerably large as 0.28, and it was anticipated that the optics was not favorable for very thick resist processes. However, when upper limit of the resist thickness was investigated using 100-μm 1:1 line-and-space (L&S) patterns, very clear patterns with rectangular shape cross sections were obtained if the resist thickness was approximately 150 μm or less. Size miniaturization limits of 1:1 L&S patterns for 50- and 100- μm thick resists were investigated also. As a result, the limits were 25- and 40-μm, respectively, and aspect ratios of 2.3 were measured in both cases. It was clarified that the lithography using a GRIN lens array would be applicable to thick resist patterning within 150 μm. It was thought that the lithography was especially good for fabricating micro-fluidic devices and molds for electroplating, and others.
As the present situation of stereophonic lithography using a pair of parabolic mirrors, a main subject of the research and challenges to solve it were discussed. Using a commercially available magic mirror system composed of a pair of parabolic mirrors, it was capable to make 3-dimensional real images of the original reflective objects placed on the lower mirror bottom at just above the upper mirror aperture. Utilizing this optics, and adding some ideas, stereophonic lithography on curved articles were enabled. At first, an aperture was opened at the bottom center of the lower mirror also. Next, transparent curved reticles were used instead of the original reflective objects. In addition, the transparent curved reticles were illuminated obliquely upward from the bottom using a collimated light from one side. Owing to these ideas, it was demonstrated that patterns on a curved spoon-shape reticles were successfully replicated on spoon-shape articles with the same shape. However, the reticles were made by pasting transparent seals with emulsion illustrations. Such reticles were not desirable from the view point of accuracy and exposure homogeneity. To solve this important subject, a new idea was contrived further. That was the replication from the conventional flat reticle to curved articles using the same parabolic mirror optics. Because the focal redundancy was very large, patterns were replicable, though light intensity distributed, pattern shapes were distorted, and pattern widths were also distributed. However, it was thought feasible to utilize flat reticles by compensating the light intensity distribution and image distortions.
Stereophonic lithography applying a magic-mirror optics composed of faced parabolic mirrors is proposed. In the magic mirror system, a real image of an object placed on the base of the lower mirror is formed at the aperture center of upper mirror as if an actual object is floating in the air. The image is formed by illuminating the object by the downward light supplied through the upper mirror aperture. In the new optics originated in this research, a lower mirror with an aperture similar to the upper mirror is used, and the object held at the center of the lower mirror aperture is illuminated obliquely by the upward light supplied through the lower mirror aperture. At first, using reflective objects, image formations were demonstrated. When an object was placed at various height of the optical axis, an image almost similar to the object was projected successfully in a wide height range of the object. The size and the height position of the image were almost regularly changed according to the axial height shift of the object. However, image contrasts sufficiently high for the lithographic patterning were not obtained. For this reason, transparent objects were tried next, and the illumination light was adjusted as most of the light rays hit the middle parts of the upper mirror surface. As a result, considerably high-contrast images were formed. Although some distortions were observed in image shapes, feasibility of the new stereophonic projection system was confirmed. The new technology is prospective.
A new lithography optics designed and fabricated for printing 300-μm patterns on inside surfaces of pipes with an inner diameter of 10 mm and a length of 300 mm was investigated. Such patterning is required for giving textures to heat pipes, graving bearing grooves, and fabricating electrode and wiring patterns on inside surfaces of pipes. Although the pattern size is far larger than those used for semiconductor device fabrication, patterning onto non-flat surfaces in narrow spaces has hardly been researched anywhere else. Here, a linear optical fiber array composed of 500-μm fibers with squared ends were used for leading exposure light from light emitting diodes and designating pattern shapes. Then, the fiber array end was contacted to the inlet of a taper-conduit, and the pattern shapes were reduced in 1/2.25 at the outlet of the conduit. The conduit was composed of densely contacted fine optical fibers, and each fiber diameter was gradually reduced in the longitudinal direction keeping each fiber position invariably. The reduced pattern shapes were projected by a ratio of 1.25/1 using a simple convex lens on the inside surface of a pipe. Here, the performances of the projection optics were investigated by printing patterns on wafers used temporarily in place of the inside wall of a pipe. As a result, hole and linear space patterns with sizes or widths of approximately 300 μm were successfully formed.
It was verified that a lenticular lens array with a fine pitch of 100 μm was effective for improving resolution and clearness in switching of two images. Lenticular lens array patterns of negative resist SU-8 were fabricated on a 240-μm thin quartz plate, and they were directly used as lenticular lens arrays. The patterns were printed using 1:1 projection lithography under largely defocused conditions using a reticle with 50-μm line-and-space patterns. Because pattern images were made vague by the defocus, connected humpbacked patterns with a pitch of 100 μm were continuously formed without spaces. Cross section profiles of the patterns were almost circular, and the curvature radius was controllable in a range between 60 and 130 μm by adjusting exposure time. In the case of picture switching using conventional lenticular lens arrays with 40-100 lenses per inch, stitching lines appeared considerably clear between divided picture elements, and discontinuous steps were observed at inclined parts of figures. However, when the 100-μm pitch lens arrays were used, stitched steps became far finer and smoother, and scenes without notable stitching lines were obtained. Steps and discontinuities at inclined parts of figures were especially improved. Thus, fine pitch lenticular lens arrays are effective, and the new method for printing lenticular lens patterns would be useful for fabricating original molds of lenticular lens arrays.
A new fabrication method of micro-lens arrays with element lens diameters of 20-50 μm was developed in the past research. In the method, epoxy micro-lens arrays are replicated using concave resist patterns as molds. In this paper, resist mold pattern profiles were investigated again in detail, and model curves to be fitted to pattern cross sections were looked over again. As a result, it was found that cross section curves of resist mold patterns were very accurately modeled by decomposing each curve into three parts of a central circular concave arc, a peripheral circular convex arc, and a tangential line connecting them. For this reason, using the new fitting curves, how parallel light rays incident in an element lens were refracted at the lens surface, and concentrated in a spot were investigated. It was clarified by the ray trace that parallel light rays were efficiently concentrated in a considerably small light spots by grace of the tangential line parts. Next, the ray trace results were compared with the experimental results. A micro-lens array fabricated under the same conditions was illuminated by a parallel light ray flux. As a result, the position where the traced rays were concentrated almost coincided with the position obtained experimentally. The diameters of concentrated light spots estimated by the ray trace also almost coincided with the actually observed ones. Thus, optical characteristics of microlens arrays fabricated by the new method were adequately qualified. The new method will be useful.
Lithographical patterning on the surface of a fine pipe with a thin wall is required for fabricating three-dimensional micro-parts. For this reason, a new exposure system was developed for printing patterns on a cylindrical pipe. In the exposure system, the pipe was rotated 360° synchronous to a linear scan of a reticle. Stent-like resist patterns with a mean width of 185 μm were printed on a surface of stainless-steel pipe 2 mm in diameter. Next, the patterned pipe was chemically etched and stent-like meshed pipes with a mean mesh width of 110 μm were fabricated.
Fine cylindrical micro-components such as stents and micro-needles are required. Here, laser-scan lithography and electrolytic etching were investigated for opening many slits on fine stainless-steel pipes with an outer diameter of 100 μm, a thickness of 20 μm and a length of 40 mm.
At first, a pipe coated with a positive resist was exposed to a beam spot of violet laser. Linearly arrayed 22 slit patterns were continuously delineated by scanning and intermittently moving the pipe in the axial direction. The same delineations of 22 slit patterns were repeated four times in every 90-degree circumferential direction. The pipe was exposed to the laser spot in lengths of 170 μm, and interval lengths of 100 μm were located between the exposed lengths. Thus, 88 slit patterns in total were delineated on 8 pipe surfaces.
Next, the pipes masked by the resist were electrolytically etched one by one. A pipe was used as an anode, and an aluminum cylinder was set as a cathode around the pipe. As the electrolyte, aqueous solution of NaNO3 and NH4Cl was used. Then, the resist was removed by ultrasonic cleaning in acetone. Sizes of etched 22 slits in a line were measured for each pipe using SEM (JEOL, JSM-5510). The average width and length measured at inner surfaces were 25.8 μm (σ=4.7) and 174.8 μm (σ=13.4), respectively. The width and length measured at the outer surface were 54.6 μm (σ=2.6) and 211.4 μm (σ=4.2), respectively. It was demonstrated that aimed mesh structures were successfully fabricated. Keywords: laser-scan lithography, ultra-fine pipe, slit-pattern, electrolytic etching, stent, micro-needle
Mixing processes of two liquids were investigated by visualizing the mixing when they were simultaneously injected in a micro-mixer with lithographically fabricated Y-shape flow paths, and the mixing phenomena was analyzed in detail. To visualize the mixing, flows were observed by an optical microscope, and a clearly detectable chemical reaction was utilized. As the two liquids, a transparent aqueous solution of a strong alkali and a phenolphthalein ethanol solution were used. When they were simultaneously injected in Y-shape flow paths of a micro-mixer, they flowed at first in parallel along the joined path as laminar flows. This is because the Reynolds’ number became very small caused by the narrow flow-path widths of 50-100 μm. However, because two liquids were always contacted at the boundary, they were gradually mixed by diffusion, and the color of the mixed parts changed to vivid red. For this reason, it was able to measure the diffusion distance from the flow path center. Because the flow speeds were much faster than the diffusion speeds, the area colored in red did not depend on the time but depended on the distance from the joint point. It was known that the distance from the joint point corresponded to the time for mixing the liquids by the diffusion. It was clarified that the diffusion distance x was proportional to the square root of the diffusion time t or the distance from the joint point. The calculated diffusion coefficient D was (0.87-1.00)×10-9 m2/s.
Recently, it is required to develop a method for fabricating cylindrical micro-components in the field of measurement
and medical engineering. Here, electrolytic etching of fine stainless-steel pipes patterned by laser-scan lithography was
researched. The pipe diameter was 100 μm. At first, a pipe coated with 3-7 μm thick positive resist (tok, PMER P
LA-900) was exposed to a violet laser beam with a wavelength of 408 nm (Neoark,TC20-4030-45). The laser beam was
reshaped in a circle by placing a pinhole, and irradiated on the pipe by reducing the size in 1/20 using a reduction
projection optics. Linearly arrayed 22 slit patterns with a width of 25 μm and a length of 175 μm were delineated in
every 90-degree circumferential direction. That is, 88 slits in total were delineated at an exposure speed of 110 μm/s. In
the axial direction, patterns were delineated at intervals of 90 μm. Following the pattern delineation, the pipe masked by
the resist patterns was electrolytically etched. The pipe was used as an anode and an aluminum cylinder was set as a
cathode around the pipe. As the electrolyte, aqueous solution of NaCl and NH4Cl was used. After etching the pipe, the
resist was removed by ultrasonic cleaning in acetone. Although feasibility for fabricating multi-slit pipes was
demonstrated, sizes of the etched slits were enlarged being caused by the undercut, and the shapes were partially
deformed, and all the pipes were snapped at the chuck side.
Printing of thick resist patterns with a high aspect ratio and vertical side walls was investigated. Such resist
patterns are required for using as molds of electroplating, and patterning feasibility in a small field of 2 mm square
was verified in the past researches. However, it is necessary to print patterns homogeneously in an exposure field
with a practical size of larger than 10 mm square, for example. As profiles of resist patterns for the use of
electroplating molds, rectangular cross-sections are preferable. For this reason, patterns were printed in the
negative resist SU-8 with a thickness of 50 μm using an exposure system with a field size of 15 mm square. Before
using the thick SU-8, the best focus position of the exposure system was investigated. To find out the best focus
position, line and space (LS) patterns were printed using a positive resist OFPR-800 with a thickness of
approximately 1 μm. The focus position where patterns were most clearly formed on the wafer was decided to be
the focus origin, and defocuses were controlled by moving wafers downward. Next, 50-μm LS patterns were
printed in 50-μm thick SU-8. As a result, LS patterns with rectangular cross sections and a height of 40 μm were
obtained when the defocus and the exposure time were set at 2000 μm and for 70 seconds, respectively. It was
demonstrated that patterns with rectangular cross sections were printed in 3x5 mm2 exposure fields.
Lithographical patterning on the surface of a fine pipe with a thin wall is required for fabricating three-dimensional
micro-parts. For this reason, a new exposure system for printing patterns on a cylindrical pipe by synchronous rotary
scan-projection exposure was developed. Using the exposure system, stent-like resist patterns with a width of 251 μm
were printed on a surface of stainless-steel pipe with an outer diameter of 2 mm. The exposure time was 30 s. Next, the
patterned pipe was chemically etched. As a result, a stent-like mesh pipe with a line width of 230 μm was fabricated. It
was demonstrated that the new method had a potential to be applied to fabrications of stent and other cylindrical
micro-parts.
Two dimensional code marks are often used for the production management. In particular, in the production lines of liquid-crystal-display panels and others, data on fabrication processes such as production number and process conditions are written on each substrate or device in detail, and they are used for quality managements. For this reason, lithography system specialized in code mark printing is developed. However, conventional systems using lamp projection exposure or laser scan exposure are very expensive. Therefore, development of a low-cost exposure system using light emitting diodes (LEDs) and optical fibers with squared ends arrayed in a matrix is strongly expected. In the past research, feasibility of such a new exposure system was demonstrated using a handmade system equipped with 100 LEDs with a central wavelength of 405 nm, a 10×10 matrix of optical fibers with 1 mm square ends, and a 10X projection lens. Based on these progresses, a new method for fabricating large-scale arrays of finer fibers with squared ends was developed in this paper. At most 40 plastic optical fibers were arranged in a linear gap of an arraying instrument, and simultaneously squared by heating them on a hotplate at 120°C for 7 min. Fiber sizes were homogeneous within 496±4 μm. In addition, average light leak was improved from 34.4 to 21.3% by adopting the new method in place of conventional one by one squaring method. Square matrix arrays necessary for printing code marks will be obtained by piling the newly fabricated linear arrays up.
It is required to develop a simple but effective method for fabricating micro components with cylindrical shapes
such as spring parts used for contact-probe springs of electrical testing systems. Here, laser-scan lithography was
researched for printing fine resist patterns used for etching masks on ultra-fine stainless-steel pipes with a diameter of
100 μm. At first, a pipe was coated with 3-μm thick positive resist. Second, the resist is exposed to laser light. As the
laser light source, a violet laser with a wavelength of 408 nm was used. The laser beam was reshaped in a circle, and
irradiated on the pipe by reducing it in 1/20 using a reduction projection optics composed of a 10X objective lens and a
2X imaging lens. The pipe was supported by the chuck of rotation stage, and exposured by moving it up and down and
rotating it. The pipe position was adjusted as the laser spot came on the pipe center using the XY stage. Linearly arrayed
22 slit patterns with a length of 180 μm and a separation of 70μm were printed at each 90° rotation angle. That is, 88
slits in total were delineated at an exposure speed of 110 μm/s.
Lithographical patterning on the surface of a thin pipe is required for fabricating three-dimensional micro-parts. For
this reason, a new exposure system for printing patterns on a cylindrical pipe by synchronous scan-projection exposure
was developed. Using the exposure system, resist patterns with a width of 100 μm were printed on a surface of
stainless-steel pipe with a diameter of 2 mm. The exposure time was 30 s. Printed resist pattern widths were measured in
the axial and circumferential directions. As a result, pattern widths were almost uniform in both axial and circumferential
directions. Judging from the experimental results, it was clarified that the patterning technology had a potential to be
applied to fabrications of bio-medical devices and micro-parts.
Lithography has been generally used for printing two-dimensional patterns on flat wafers. Recently, however, it is
also applied to a three-dimensional patterning for fabricating various MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems)
components. The purpose of this research is to develop a new method for fabricating micro-lens arrays. At first, resist
(Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, PMER LA-900PM) mold patterns with densely arrayed square or hexagonal concaves were
replicated by intentionally shifting the focal position of projection exposure. The size of resist-mold was 2 mm square,
and the initial thickness of the resist was 10 μm. Next, the wafer with the concave resist patterns was cut into small chips,
and each wafer chip was fixed at the bottom of a paper cup using an adhesive tape. Then the epoxy resin (Nissin resin,
Crystal resin Neo) was poured on the concave resist-mold patterns, and the resin was coagulated. Afterward, the
hardened resin was grooved along the wafer chip using a cutter knife, and the wafer chip with the resist-mold patterns
was forcibly removed using a pair of tweezers. Finally, both sides of the resin block were polished, and the thickness was
reduced. Although the transparency and roughness of the resin block surfaces should be improved, epoxy micro-lens
arrays were certainly fabricated. The mean values of curvature radius and lens height were 28.3μm and 4.9 μm,
respectively.
Novolak resists have been widely used in IC production and are still used in the production of flat panel displays (FPDs) and MEMS. However, with the advent of high-definition products, FPDs increasingly face requirements for finer dimensions. These trends have generated requirements for higher sensitivity, higher resolution, and wider process margin for novolak resists. Using a lithography simulator with the goal of improving the performance of novolak resists, we examined various approaches to improving resist materials. This report discusses efforts to improve resolution and sensitivity using highly fractionated novolak resins and adding low molecular weight phenol resins.
There are great advantages in cost and simplicity, if exposure sources in lithography systems for printing two dimensional code marks are changed from ultra-high-pressure mercury lamps to light emitting diodes (LEDs). For this reason, a prototype exposure system was developed, and it was demonstrated that two dimensional code marks were successfully printed using LEDs as exposure sources and a squared plastic optical fiber matrix as code-mark cells. In addition, it was also verified that suitably printed code marks were directly readable using a commercially available code-mark reader. However, readability for various marks has not been investigated sufficiently. For this reason, the readability was investigated in detail by variously changing lighting maps of LEDs, here. Readable ratios of code marks printed under short exposure-time conditions were investigated in particular to clarify the redundancy and margin for the exposure dose and mark-quality degradation. As test code marks, 6 figure numbers such as 111111, 222222,…777777 were used. This is because not to make LEDs which are not lightened. As a result, all the code marks printed with good profiles and almost no resist residues were correctly read. In addition, code marks with slight resist residues were also readable. It was clarified that amount of resist residues in the data area greatly influenced the readability.
Lithography is frequently used for fabrication of micro-components such as flexible print circuits, microfluidic devices and lens arrays. However, low-cost lithography tools with large exposure areas appropriate for such applications are not commercially available. It is thought that a scan-exposure system using a gradient-index lens array as a projection lens matches such requirements. However, in spite of adding back-and-forth sub-scans in the direction perpendicular to the main scan, unevenness of the light intensity was not completely removed, in the past research, and partial degradations of resolution were observed here and there in the field. For this reason, causes of intensity unevenness and resolution degradation were investigated here. In concrete, 30-μm line-and-space patterns were printed without any scans to confirm whether element lenses were arranged regularly and patterns were stitched smoothly. Pattern shifts between upper and lower element lenses of the 2-line gradient-index lens array were measured at every contact point of neighbored element lenses. As a result, it was clarified that patterns printed by neighbored lenses were not always stitched smoothly. It was considered that degradation of resolution and unexpected pattern-width distribution were caused by large pattern shifts observed in some places. It is necessary to adopt sub scans as fast and long as possible for improving the pattern-width homogeneity, and to limit the patterning area to where the pattern shifts are comparatively small for improving the resolution.
A new method to print patterns with very sharp vertical side walls in thick negative resist SU-8 was investigated. In addition, the technology was swiftly applied to fabrication of microfluidic devices. At first, 50-μm line-and-space patterns were printed using SU-8 with a thickness of 100 μm. When the best focal position for the thin resist film with a thickness of approximately 1 μm is defined as the focus origin, vertical sidewalls were obtained at defocus positions of between +2,400 μm and +3,000 μm. The profiles became the best at the defocus of +2,400 μm. Here, the plus defocus means that wafers were lowered far from the lens. It was considered that the excellent profiles were obtained because the light intensity decrease caused by the absorption in the resist was just balanced with the degradation and extent of positional light-intensity distribution caused by the intentional defocus. Using the technology, various flow- path patterns of microfluidic devices were successfully fabricated.
Projection lithography using a liquid crystal display panel in place of a reticle is expected as a low-cost reticleless
patterning method. Here, a simple but useful new exposure system using a projector with highly minute liquid crystal
display panels is proposed. A projector with a light source and red, green and blue liquid crystal display panels was used
as it was, and a set of two commercial macro-lenses was attached as reduction projection optics. The exposure system
was evaluated by printing various patterns. Positive OFPR-800 (Tokyo Ohka Kogyo) was used as a resist. The diameter
of the exposure field was approximately 6 mm. As a result, line patterns with a minimum width of 14 μm were clearly
resolved. However, noticeable partial exposure unevenness was observed for patterns with a width of 40 μm or less.
Because applications using large patterns with widths of 100-200 μm are aimed at hand, it is not a problem, and patterns
with such large sizes are sharply and homogeneously printed even if they are considerably complicated.
This article describes particular patterning characteristics of annular illumination lithography and a method to improve them. Annular illumination lithography is one of the most practical methods to enhance resolution and enlarge focus latitude. However, improving the patterning characteristics is not sufficient at the ends of periodical patterns in spite of superior performance at the periodical parts. Here, the degradation of the patten profiles at the periodical ends are investigated in detail, and size-modification of the end patterns is proposed. By making the reticle pattern widths a little wider only at the ends, end-pattern degradation is greatly improved, and practical depth-of-focus is favorably extended.
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