International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

In this work, electron beam lithography (EBL) is presented as an important technology shaping the future of semiconductor manufacturing within the Industry 4.0 initiative. The EBL contribution to the ongoing evolution of electronic devices and technologies is discussed in the context of the Industry 4.0 initiative. Semiconductor technologies are foundational to the implementation of Industry 4.0, playing a critical role in enabling advanced computing, communication, sensing, and control systems. They facilitate the creation of intelligent, interconnected, and automated systems in the Industry 4.0 initiative. In addition, we present some of our results in the field of EBL research. The focus is on investigating the electron beam resist profile depending on various process parameters. The influence of electron beam lithography parameters, such as electron energy, resist thickness, and exposure dose, on the resist sidewall shape (profile) is studied for the PMMA (polymethyl-methacrylate) positive electron beam resist. Simulation results based on measurements along the resist profile depth are presented and discussed. The aim of this work is to develop and validate models for predicting and precisely controlling resist profiles in thick PMMA layers applied in the fabrication of electronic devices.

This work presents experimental and theoretical investigation of exposed and developed negative electron resist AR-N 7520 profiles using electron beam lithography system ZBA23 (Raith) at variation of the exposure doses and pre-defined exposure pattern. Several overall geometry quality criteria for the shape of the developed resist profile cross-sections are defined. Empirical models are estimated for the dependence of overall geometry characteristics of the obtained resist profiles on the exposure dose. These overall quality characteristics are used for defining of technological requirements for the formed profiles and for obtaining optimal regimes by multicriterial optimization.

Electron beam lithography (EBL) is a key technology for the fabrication of new generation integral circuits and devices of electronics, photonics and nano-engineering. The computer simulation of the processes of electron exposure and development of the resist profiles in EBL is important for the optimization of this expensive technology process, due to the expensive equipment used in microelectronic fabrication, the use of sophisticated materials and the long chain of sequential steps required to obtain the desired microand nano-structure. In this work investigation of the exposure and the development of Poly-methyl methacrylate resist (PMMA) with 100 nm thickness on Si substrate is presented. Different simulation techniques are implemented for the estimation of the distribution of the absorbed energy in the sample during electron beam exposure and for the development of the resist profile. Results from Monte Carlo simulation softwares CASINO, TREM, SELID are presented.

Electron beam lithography (EBL) is one of the few “top-down” methods and EBL is becoming increasingly widespread in R&D and small volume production due to its flexibility and mask-less nature, very high (sub-10 nm) resolution and accuracy and in many cases EBL is the only possible alternative. In this paper, obtained experimental and simulation results for EBL nano-patterning using the high-resolution electron beam resist Hydrogen Silsesquioxane (HSQ) are presented and discussed. The influence of EBL process parameters such as exposure dose, resist thickness and development process conditions on the obtained developed images is studied. The applied simulation tool for the resists’ characteristics evaluation is suitable for a precise control of obtained image dimensions in the resist applied as a masking layer for nano-patterning. This investigation and simulation of the characteristics of the studied e-beam resist aim to improve the resolution of the nano-dimensioned electron beam lithography and results for nano-lithography applications are also presented.