A new laser lithography technique using the effect of optical superresolution can effectively reduce the exposed spot size on a photoresist layer, thus allowing disk mastering toward higher density using an existing light source and optics. A thin metallic mask layer deposited on the top of the photoresist layer is used to obtain a "below optical diffraction limit" linewidth on the photoresist layer. The feasibility of the laser lithography technique, as evaluated by simulation and experimental results, revealed that the linewidth on the photoresist layer could be shrunk by more than 50% of the diffraction limit of the optical system.
We propose a new laser lithography technique using the effect of thermal-induced super resolution and demonstrate that the technique can effectively reduce the exposed spot size on the photoresist layer, thus allowing disk mastering toward higher density by using exiting light source and optics. A mask layer, whose nonlinear optical properties result in formation an aperture in high temperature area near to the center of the laser spot, is deposited on the top of the photoresist layer. Usually, the aperture size is much smaller than the laser spot, thus, achieving thermal-induced super resolution. The simulation and experimental results reveal that the line width on the photoresist layer could be shrunk by more than 40% KEYWORD: disk mastering, thermal-induced super resolution, lithography
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