Advanced patterning strategies for maskless laser direct write lithography

Laser direct write lithography using near-i-line wavelength is a very fast, versatile, and cost-effective maskless technique for fabricating microstructures, especially for prototyping and low-volume production in many fields of application, e.g. microelectronics, photonics, optical devices, and mastering. However, the resolution of this method is limited and depends on the focal length of the write lens used, which means that it is necessary to find a tradeoff between write speed and resolution. In this paper, we will optimize the resolution of i-line direct write processes by applying resolution enhancement techniques, which are well known in stepper lithography. IMS Chips and Heidelberg Instruments collaborated on tuning both process and tool performance with the goal to improve structure density and resolution.