Electron-Beam Proximity Printing—A New High-Speed Lithography Method for Submicron Structures

A laboratory prototype of an electron-beam proximity printer is described which shadow-projects patterns of chip-size transmission masks onto wafers. Electron-beam transmission masks with physical holes at transparent areas have been fabricated with the smallest structures down to 0.3 µm. Experiments to replicate mask patterns were directed at demonstrating the applicability of this lithographic method to high-speed printing of repetitive patterns on wafers. Linewidth resolution and positional accuracy, as well as exposure speed, meet the requirements for micron and submicron lithography.