Exploration of Thermolithography for Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing

Lithography is a critical enabling technology for manufacturing micro- and nano-scale devices and structures. The manuscript presents our recent progress in the exploration of a new lithography technique that employs localized heating to induce thermo-chemical crosslinking of photoresist layers. The thermal transport properties of photoresist layers are measured and kinetics of cross-linking reactions is studied using microfabricated heaters as localized heat sources. It is demonstrated that polymer films can be patterned in a controlled manner using heater temperature, heating duration, as well as UV exposure dose as control variables. The data and experimental approaches presented here will help systematic evaluation and development of thermolithography schemes.