Two-axis-of-rotation drive system in electron-beam lithography apparatus for nanotechnology applications
A two-axis-of-rotation drive system has been developed that enables electron-beam lithography (EBL) to be applied to three-dimensional (3D) nanofabrication. It is built on a pallet that can be loaded into the EBL apparatus, and rotates a sample while the e-beam writes on it. It has a positional accuracy of a few milliradians. In addition, a height-measurement system has also been developed. This helps to focus the e-beam on the surface of a rotating or non-planar sample, and enables fine patterns to be formed on such samples. These systems allow samples to be exposed to the e-beam from various directions, resulting in 3D fabrication with a high degree of freedom. A demonstration carried out on a polymethylmethacrylate sphere resulted in the formation of pillars with various shapes and about 100 nm in diameter.
3d nanofabrication e-beam nanolithography rotation drive pmma