Nano Lithography

Lithography is an extremely complex tool - based on theconcept of „imprinting“ an original template versiononto mass output - originally using relatively simple opticalexposure, masking, and etching techniques, and now extended toinclude exposure to X-rays, high energy UV light, and electronbeams - in processes developed to manufacture everydayproducts including those in the realms of consumer electronics, telecommunications, entertainment, and transportation, to name buta few. In the last few years, researchers and engineers have pushedthe envelope of fields including optics, physics, chemistry, mechanics and fluidics, and are now developing the nanoworld withnew tools and technologies. Beyond the scientific challenges thatare endemic in this miniaturization race, next generationlithography techniques are essential for creating new devices, newfunctionalities and exploring new application fields. Nanolithography is the branch of nanotechnology concerned with thestudy and application of fabricating nanometer-scale structures& #8722; meaning the creation of patterns with at least onelateral dimension between the size of an individual atom andapproximately 100 nm. It is used in the fabrication of leading-edgesemiconductor integrated circuits (nanocircuitry) ornanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). This book addresses physical principles as well as the scientificand technical challenges of nanolithography, covering X-ray andNanoImprint lithography, as well as techniques using scanning probemicroscopy and the optical properties of metal nanostructures, patterning with block copolymers, and metrology forlithography. It is written for engineers or researchers new to the field, andwill help readers to expand their knowledge of technologies thatare constantly evolving.