MRI: Acquisition of an Electron Beam Lithography System for Nanofabrication at the UW-Madison and Regional Universities

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) project supports the acquisition of an Electron Beam Lithography system at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and regional universities. This tool will provide state-of-the-art nanofabrication capabilities to a large population of students, faculty, researchers, and scholars at several universities. This capability will enhance study and research within fields ranging from physics, to electrical and computer engineering, to materials science and biology. A key attribute of the instrument to be acquired is the ability to pattern very small features across large areas - a capability that is especially important, for example, for modern photonics technology. Students (graduate and undergraduate) and other scholars around Wisconsin will directly use the instrument to facilitate cutting-edge study and research, honing their expertise in a key modern fabrication technology in the process. Undergraduate education will be enhanced by new components relating to electron beam lithography in courses in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW-Madison. The new facility will also be used in the recruitment of a diverse group of students to UW-Madison, as well as for outreach and education activities for high school students and the general public. The instrument to be acquired will meet critical needs for students studying and performing research in a wide range of areas varying from quantum devices to water quality monitoring and from nanostructured optical metasurfaces to aggressively scaled carbon nanotube field-effect transistors. The project seeks an instrument that can provide sub-10 nm lithographic resolution, high-speed beam deflection, high resolution over a 500 micrometer field without stitching, and a stitching accuracy of 15 nm. In addition to these high-end features that will enable a broad spectrum of research, the modern electron beam lithography tool that will be acquired in this project will provide far greater throughput while also facilitating use by less experienced users and lowering the barrier to entry for new users. These advantages will increase the range of users who will benefit from the instrument's capabilities. The tool will be integrated within the University of Wisconsin-Madison cleanroom in order to maximize the instrument's impact. This cleanroom user facility contains a broad array of auxiliary tools that will enhance the use of the electron-beam instrument. This facility will also manage and enable broad access to the instrument.