X-ray lithography in IBM, 1980–1992, the development years

The IBM X-ray lithography research and development program is outlined, from a personal perspective, covering the period from the inception of the program in 1980 through the development of IBM's own storage ring for X-ray production in 1992. The following aspects, among others, are discussed: origins of the program; acquisition of an X-ray port at Brookhaven National Laboratory; masks for X-ray lithography; development of special tooling for X-ray lithography, including a wafer stepper, a precision e-beam X-ray mask writing system, and a superconducting (dipole) electron synchrotron installed in the IBM Advanced Lithography Facility (ALF) in East Fishkill, New York. Key device programs were conducted to increase understanding of the X-ray lithography process and confirm its utility.