Advanced mask aligner lithography (AMALITH)

In this paper we show that it is possible using optical photolithography to obtain micron and submicron features for periodic structures in non-contact using the Talbot effect. In order for this effect to work it is important to have good control of the illumination light and here we show that the MO Exposure Optics (MOEO) developed by SUSS MicroOptics provides uniform and well collimated illumination light suitable for Talbot lithography. The MOEO can easily be incorporated into a standard mask aligner. Here we show 1μm and 0.65μm diameter holes in a hexagonal array in photoresist made in large-gap proximity printing.