Patent ID: 6277539
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: G03F,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for microfabrication of engineered structures comprising:providing a substrate for the microfabricated structure, said substrate having a working surface for receiving a resist;providing a buffer layer which is stable under exposure to and capable of absorbing secondary electron emissions generated by the substrate upon exposure to an X-rays source, wherein adhesion is maintained between the buffer layer and the resist upon exposure to an X-rays source, and affixing the buffer layer to the said working surface of said substrate, wherein the buffer layer comprises a first layer and a second layer of a hard-baked resist wherein the first layer is made from a polymer material having a low atomic weight;providing a resist that is chemically modified upon exposure to X-rays and affixing the resist to the buffer layer to form a blank;providing an X-rays mask that upon exposure to a source of X-rays will permit the chemical modification of selected portions of said resist to produce a two-dimensional outline of the desired structure;exposing the mask and blank to a primary x-rays source to produce an exposed microfabricated blank where the section of the blank not protected from the X-rays source by the mask is chemically modified;developing the blank to remove the chemically modified part of the resist; andremoving the section of the buffer not covered by the remaining resist to form amicro structure.