Optical fine processing apparatus

Abstract: An optical fine processing apparatus for forming a structure having a high aspect ratio even on a sample (10) having high heat conductivity. An optical light beam (1), such as a laser beam, is irradiated onto the sample in an electrolytic solution (16) through a light guide (6) to deposit a substance such as a metal or a polymer. A plurality of removing electrodes (2) are allowed to have an electric potential for removing a part of the deposited substance. The removing electrodes are disposed on a rotation ring (4) which is rotatable about a center of an optical axis of the irradiating light onto the sample so as to adjust a width of a predetermined pattern to be scraped by changing the rotation angle of the removing electrodes with respect to the optical axis. By scanning the light guide (6) and the removing electrodes (2) above the sample surface, it is possible to form an optional pattern on the sample.

Description: The present invention relates to a fine processing apparatus for optically and chemically performing the addition processing and the removing processing of metal or the like in a solution in order to produce a structure necessitating a high aspect ratio, which is especially used in a field in which the structure is manufactured using micromachining technique. One example of the conventional fine processing method is shown in Fig. 3. A sample 10, a counter electrode 32 and a reference electrode 31 are immersed in a solution (plating solution) 16, the electric potential of the counter electrode 32 is set in a state of an equilibrium electric potential or a small overvoltage of a degree in which no deposition occurs, and the (laser) light beam 1 is collected and irradiated onto the sample through a lens 21 using a laser from an apparatus 20. The plating speed rapidly increases at the portion irradiated by the light beam 1, and a deposited substance is generated only at the irradiated portion. At this time, when the laser beam is scanned, a linear pattern can be drawn. The principle of this deposition can be explained as follows. Namely, when the laser is irradiated onto the electrode surface of the sample in the solution, and its energy is absorbed by the irradiated portion, the interface between the electrode and the solution is locally heated. The local heating promotes the electric charge migration reaction which results in the deposition. However, in the conventional fine processing method, as shown in Fig. 4, the deposited substance 5 having the film thickness distribution as shown in the figure is generated at the portion irradiated by the light beam 1 onto the sample. This is considered to be due to the temperature distribution in accordance with the laser light irradiation. In the case of a raw material having good heat conductivity, the heat generated by the absorption of the light is rapidly diffused. Thus, the film formation is made in a shape extending over the irradiated portion. In additon, in the case of the laser light, the intensity of the laser beam gives a normal Gaussian distribution, so that the film thickness distribution like a mount is presented as shown in Fig. 4. Thus, in order to suppress the influence of the heat diffusion, there has been tried a method in which a substance having low heat conductivity is thinly coated on a base of the sample, a method in which a pulse oscillation laser is used to make the heat release satisfactory so as to decrease the influence of the heat diffusion etc., however, no solution has been achieved. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fine processing apparatus for forming a metal or polymer film pattern having a sharp pattern edge and high aspect ratio even on a sample material having high heat conductivity. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in this invention, the end portion of metal or polymer to be deposited is removed by a film formation chip in which removing electrodes are arranged in the vicinity of a light guide for irradiating the light. In addition, the light irradiation and the application of an electric potential to the removing electrodes in the vicinity of the light are alternately performed for each pulse, thereby it is made possible to scrape the deposited metal and polymer electrochemically. Further, there is given a constitution such that the removing electrodes for scraping the pattern end portion rotate about the center of the optical axis, and the removing electrodes are allowed to have a rotation angle which may be changed with respect to the optical axis, thereby the width of the pattern to be scraped can be adjusted. The light, such as laser beam , is irradiated onto the sample in the solution. The metal or polymer is deposited at the portion irradiated by the laser beam. The removing electrodes are allowed to have an electric potential for removing the deposited substance, and the metal or polymer at the pattern end portion is scraped. By scanning the film formation chip and the sample, it is possible to form an optional pattern on the sample. The removing electrodes for scraping are made capable of rotational movement with respect to the optical axis, thereby the width of the pattern to be scraped can be adjusted, and the control of the pattern width can be performed. Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the film formation chip to be used for the fine processing apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the film formation chip to be used for the fine processing apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 3 is an illustrative view of the conventional fine processing apparatus; Fig. 4 is an explanatory view for the conventional film formation using light; Fig. 5 is an illustrative view of the fine processing apparatus of the present invention; and Fig. 6A and 6B are explanatory views showing the pattern width control method using the fine processing apparatus according to the present invention. An example of this invention will be explained hereinafter on the basis of drawings: In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is shown the structure of a film formation chip 7, which is constituted by a light guide 6 for allowing light to pass through, an insulation tube 3, a rotation ring 4 and removing electrodes 2. The removing electrodes 2 are fomed with a metal such as tungsten, platinum or the like, which are supported by a rotation ring 4 for rotating the removing electrodes 2 about the center of the light beam. The rotation ring 4 is made of an insulator. The rotation ring 4 is further supported by the insulation tube 3. The light beam passes through the interior of the rotation ring 4 and is irradiated onto a sample 10. In the example, the opening portion of the rotation ring 4 has a diameter of 500 µm. The electrodes 2 supported in the rotation ring 4 has a diameter of 100 µm. Fig. 5 shows an illustrative view of the fine processing apparatus of the present invention. The interior of a container 15 is installed with the sample 10, a reference electrode 31 and a film formation chip 7, and filled with a solution 16. Further the sample 10, the reference electrode 31 and the removing electrodes 2 of the film formation chip as well as a counter electrode 32 are electrically connected to a potentiostat 30. The sample 10 may be either an electrically conductive substance or an insulator coated with electrically conductive substance. The reference electrode 31 is an electrode for generating an electric potential to serve as a standard for the case of controlling the electrode electric potential in the electrochemical reaction, for which the saturated calomel electrode (SCE) or the silver - silver chloride electrode is generally used. For the counter electrode 32, tungsten or platinum is used. The container 15 is installed on a vibration-removing stand 8. The light beam is generated by a laser apparatus 20, the angle of which is changed by a reflection mirror 22. The reflected light beam is subjected to light collection by an optical system so as to generate a parallel light beam. A pattern drawing method will be explained. An X-Y driving system (not shown in the figure) exists under a sample stand 40 carrying the sample, which moves the sample in the X-Y directions. With respect to the movement in the Z axis direction, when a laser beam is used, the coherence property is high, so that there is no problem. In addition, an optical box 23 is directly installed with the insulation tube 3, so as to avoid the absorption of light due to the reaction by the solution 16 as thoroughly as possible. A method for performing film formation of a chromium film using the present apparatus will be explained. A mixed solution 16 of chromic acid and sulfuric acid is poured into the container 15, and the sample 10, the reference electrode 31 and the counter electrode 32 are immersed in the container 15. Further, the sample 10, the reference electrode 31 and the counter electrode 32 are connected to the potentiostat 30. The sample 10 is moved to a portion at which a desired pattern is intended to be obtained by means of the X-Y driving mechanism not shown in the figure but installed in the sample stand 40. The light beam generated by the laser apparatus 20 passes through the optical system in the optical box 23, passes through the opening portion of the rotation ring 4 within the insulation tube 3, and is irradiated onto the sample 10. On the sample surface a reaction occurs and a thin film of chromium is formed. Next, an electric potential is applied to the removing electrodes 2 installed in the rotation ring, thereby the end portion of the formed thin film is scraped. In the pattern formation, the light beam is generated by pulse oscillation to form a pattern, and the electric potential to the electrodes is given by pulse oscillation to remove the pattern end portion, and when such steps are alternately performed for each pulse, it is possible to perform the addition processing and the removing processing, and a pattern with sharp pattern end portion and high aspect ratio can be obtained. The control method for the pattern width will be explained in accordance with Figs. 6A and 6B. In the case of Fig. 6A, a case is shown in which the film formation is performed with making the removing electrodes 2 installed in the rotation ring 4 to be perpendicular to the proceeding direction. On the contrary, a case is shown in Fig. 6B in which the rotation ring 4 is rotated about the optical axis by about 45 degrees. When the rotation ring 4 is rotated about the optical axis by about 45 degrees, the width of the pattern becomes narrow. By scanning the light guide 6 and the removing electrodes above the sample surface, the pattern width is controlled and it is possible to form an optional pattern and to obtain a pattern having a desired width. In this invention, as explained above with respect to the apparatus , the sample 10, the counter electrode 32 and the reference electrode 31 are installed in the solution 16. The light beam 1 is irradiated onto the sample, thereby a desired pattern consisting of metal or polymer is formed and the removing electrodes 2 are arranged in the vicinity of the light beam 1. The electric current is allowed to flow between the removing electrodes 2 and the sample 10 to cause electrochemical reaction so as to remove a part of the metal or polymer, thereby there is provided such an effect that a structure is obtained which has a sharp pattern edge and a high aspect ratio.

Claims: An optical fine processing apparatus for forming a structure on a sample 10 comprising: an electrolytic solution (16) filled in a container (15) for soaking the sample provided in the container; a light guide (6) dipped in said electrolytic solution for irradiating light to the sample to deposit a substance from said electrolytic solution on the sample by optical energy; a removing electrode (2) disposed adjacent to said light guide (6) and applying an electric potential for scraping a part of the deposited substance on the sample by electrochemical reaction; light generating means (20) for supplying a light beam (1) to said light guide (6) through an optical system (23); and potential supplying means for supplying the electric potential to said removing electrode (2). An optical fine processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light generating means (20) and said potential supplying means alternately supply the light beam (1) to said light guide (6) for depositing the substance and the electric potential to said removing electrode (2) for scraping a part of the deposited substance respectively, and wherein said light guide (6) and said removing electrode (2) are movable above the sample (10) to form a predetermined pattern of the structure. An optical fine processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said removing electrodes (2) are disposed on a rotation ring (4) which is rotatable about a center of an optical axis of an irradiating light onto the sample (10) so as to adjust a width of a predetermined pattern to be scraped by changing the rotation angle of said removing electrodes (2) with respect to the optical axis. An optical fine processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substance disposed on the sample is a metal. An optical fine processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substance disposed on the sample is a polymer.

Inventors: IWASAKI FUMIHARU, SAKUHARA TOSHIHIKO, SHINOGI MASATAKA, SUDA MASAYUKI, IWASAKI, FUMIHARU, SAKUHARA, TOSHIHIKO, SHINOGI, MASATAKA, SUDA, MASAYUKI, IWASAKI, FUMIHARU, C/O SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC., SAKUHARA, TOSHIHIKO, C/O SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC., Shinogi, Masataka, c/o Seiko Instruments Inc., Suda, Masayuki, c/o Seiko Instruments Inc.
Applicants: SEIKO INSTR INC, SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: C25F3
IPC codes: C25F7, C25F3, C25D21, C25D5, B81C99