Introduction:
With each passing day, the manufacturing and production
process of products is getting improved. Earlier most of the production and
manufacturing operations were carried out manually. During industrial
revolution use of machines was popularized and mechanical and manual machines
were widely used in the industries. With the advancements in the field of
technology such as invention of computers allowed the industries to adopt
automation as the primary method of production and manufacturing of goods. These
processes involve quite several complex and technical sub-processes. From
categorizing the raw materials to manufacturing finished goods, several
processes are used for production, categorization, assembling, moulding,
diversification, wiring and printing and others. One such process is X-ray lithography.
What is Lithography?
It is the process of printing patterns on a thin film called
resist, using localized interaction between this layer and the particle beam. Since
ancient days, when lithography technique was used to imprint artworks or
paintings on the paper or sheet. A smooth surfaced lithographic limestone was
used on which the drawings or figures are drawn with help of oil, water, and
wax, and then that drawing was imprinted on the paper. This technique was mainly
used for printing text or artwork.
In modern times, the way lithography works has changed.
Semiconductor industry used the concept of lithography and modernized it to
manufacture Integrated Circuits and MEMS by photolithography. Today various
types of lithography methods are popular such as:
·
Photolithography
·
X-Ray
Lithography
·
Electron
Beam Lithography
·
UV
Lithography
·
Nano
Lithography
·
Nano
imprint Lithography
·
Soft
Lithography
·
Scanning
Probe Lithography
·
Colloidal
Lithography, etc.
In this article we will discuss about the X-Ray Lithography,
its advantages, application and how it works.
X-Ray Lithography:
X-Ray Lithography is a process why uses x-ray beams to
imprint a geometric pattern from a mask to the resist on the substrate. X-Ray
resists are the substance which shows chemical or physical changes due to the
exposure of X-Ray. The resist should be sensitive to the X-Ray so that it can
absorb the X-Ray easily. X-Ray Lithography is remarkably similar to
Photolithography and UV Lithography, the only difference is use of X-Ray in X-Ray
Lithography.
Applications of X-Ray Lithography:
X-Ray Lithography is widely used in the electronic industry. It
has several applications such as:
Ø For fabrication of Gigabyte DRAM.
Ø In manufacturing of semiconductors.
Ø Used in MEMS (Micro-Electro
Mechanical Systems) technology such as Micro Sensors, Micro Actuators, Micro Electronics,
and others.
Top X-Ray Lithography Companies:
USA, Japan, Taiwan,
South Korea are some of the countries which develops the X-Ray Lithography
process.
Companies like IBM, Motorola, NTT, Mitsubishi Electronics are
some of the big names in the development and research of X-Ray Lithography.
Advantages of X-Ray Lithography:
· It is a fast process of lithography.
· It has High Resolution.
· High Aspect Ratio.
· Scattering effect is reduced by this
method.
Disadvantages of X-Ray Lithography:
· The cost of manufacturing masks is
expensive.
· It has thin lens.
· Chances of Shadow Printing is more in
this method.
· Best results cannot be achieved in the
absence of brighter X-ray source.
Conclusion:
The implications of X-Ray Lithography are many. It has
revolutionized the fabrication process of semiconductors. It is a 70’s
technology but still it is widely used today in almost every kind of electronic
goods production. There is no doubt that X-Ray Lithography has changed the
dynamics of fabrication and imprinting processes.
