Industry 4.0
Vol. 11 (2026), Issue 4, pg(s) 175-178

DOMINANT TECHNOLOGIES IN “INDUSTRY 4.0”

Study on patterns in electron beam lithography for sub-micrometer line gratings

  • 1 Department of Sensor Information Systems and Technologies, Institute of Informatics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
  • 2 Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • 3 Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria; University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, Sofia, Bulgaria

Abstract

This work presents a combined experimental and simulation study of resist profile evolution in electron beam lithography (EBL) using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resist. The influence of key process parameters, including exposure dose, electron beam energy, and resist thickness on the resist profile formation, sidewall shape, and feature fidelity is systematically investigated. Particular attention is given to proximity effects caused by forward and backscattered electrons, which lead to dose redistribution and profile distortions. Experimental results show a strong dependence of PMMA resist profiles on lithographic conditions, affecting sidewall angle and linewidth variation. Bilayer PMMA systems are also examined to evaluate improvements in profile control and undercut formation for lift-off processes. Simulation of resist development is employed to model resist profile evolution and predict structural changes under varying conditions. The comparison between experimental and simulated results demonstrates good agreement, confirming the validity
of the modeling approach. The study provides deeper insight into PMMA resist behavior and supports optimization of EBL process parameters for improved nanoscale patterning accuracy.

Keywords

References

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