Sven Olliges

Extreme ultraviolet interference lithography at the Paul Scherrer Institut

We review the performance and applications of an extreme ultraviolet interference lithography (EUV-IL) system built at the Swiss Light Source of the Paul Scherrer Institut (Villigen, Switzerland). The interferometer uses fully coherent radiation from an undulator source. 1-D (line/space) and 2-D (dot/hole arrays) patterns are obtained with a transmission-diffraction-grating type of interferometer. Features with sizes in the range from one micrometer down to the 10-nm scale can be printed in a variety of resists. The highest resolution of 11-nm half-pitch line/space patterns obtained with this method represents a current record for photon based lithography. Thanks to the excellent performance of the system in terms of pattern resolution, uniformity, size of the patterned area, and the throughput, the system has been used in numerous applications. Here we demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of this emerging nanolithography method through a review of some of the applications, namely, fabrication of metallic and magnetic nanodevice components, self-assembly of Si/Ge quantum dots, chemical patterning of self-assembled monolayers (SAM), and radiation grafting of polymers. (c) 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3116559]

Temperature dependence of mechanical properties in ultrathin Au films with and without passivation

Temperature and film thickness are expected to have an influence on the mechanical properties of thin films. However, mechanical testing of ultrathin metallic films at elevated temperatures is difficult, and few experiments have been conducted to date. Here, we present a systematic study of the mechanical properties of 80–500-nm-thick polycrystalline Au films with and without SiN x passivation layers in the temperature range from 123 to 473 K. The films were tested by a novel synchrotron-based tensile testing technique. Pure Au films showed strong temperature dependence above 373 K, which may be explained by diffusional creep. In contrast, passivated samples appeared to deform by thermally activated dislocation glide. The observed activation energies for both mechanisms are considerably lower than those for the bulk material, indicating that concomitant stress relaxation mechanisms are more pronounced in the thin film geometry.

Rapid qualitative phase analysis in highly textured thin films by x-ray diffraction.

Phase analysis of highly out-of-plane textured specimens using x-ray diffraction is usually complicated due to the disappearance of most of the x-ray peaks in a common theta/2 theta diffraction geometry. In this paper, we propose a technique, where powderlike spectra of textured samples are obtained by multiaxial x-ray diffraction scans. This technique is a simple, yet powerful method which allows for significant improvement in thin film characterization and provides several types of information about the samples, such as the rapid qualitative identification of phases using common powder x-ray diffraction spectra databases, texture distribution, and quantitative residual stress analysis.

Nanowire Development and Characterization for Applications in Biosensing

A nanowire is an extremely thin wire with a diameter on the order of a few nanometers and with lengths orders of magnitude larger than its diameter. The physical properties of nanowires at this scale are expected to deviate significantly from the bulk metal, due to confinement and surface effects. For example, the electrical conductivity of the wires changes considerably, due to the drastic increase in the surface-to-volume ratio, which can be exploited for sensing. Mechanical properties, such as the yield strength, are important parameters that need to be characterized for applications like flexible circuits. In order to study the nanowire properties one needs to arrange them on a surface in a controlled way.

Mechanical Failure of Thin Ta and Cu/Ta Layers on Polyimide Substrates: A Synchrotron‐Based Technique for In Situ Characterization

In situ synchrotron radiation diffraction and confocal light microscopy is used to study fragmentation and buckling of thin brittle Ta layers with thicknesses of 50 nm, 100 nm and 200 nm on polyimide substrates. Synchrotron‐based stress measurements confirm that cracking leads to relaxation of tensile stress. Simultaneously, compressive stress arises in transverse direction, which finally leads to buckling. This behavior can be explained quantitatively by a two‐dimensional shear lag model. It is well established that the properties of the coating‐substrate interface determine the processes of coating fragmentation and delamination. A possible approach for influencing and controlling these processes is given by the incorporation of a ductile interlayer. It can be observed that the presence of Cu interlayers with thicknesses of 5 nm, 20 nm and 50 nm reduces the fracture strength of brittle Ta coatings on polyimide substrates, whereas the resistance to buckling is increased significantly.