Nanoscale multilayers as optical elements for X-ray photolitography

The development of ever smaller electronic components by using a photolithographic process is limited by the wavelength of light. For the EUV and X-ray ranges the artificial multilayer coatings in the nanometer range are used as optical elements. From the viewpoint of both technology and optical properties, the tungsten/carbon combination is one of the best for X-ray radiation. In this work we have examined the effects of periodicity, tungsten phase composition, and number of W/C bilayers upon the reflectivity of hard X-rays. The W/C multilayers have been prepared by sequential RF/DC magnetron sputtering and characterized by GISAXS, TEM, and X-ray reflectivity methods.