Sub-50 nm patterning by immersion interference lithography using a Littrow prism as a Lloyd’s interferometer

Abstract

We present a simple setup that combines immersion lithography with a Lloyd’s mirror interferometer. Aiming for smaller structure sizes, we have replaced the usual Lloyd’s interferometer by a triangular Littrow prism with one metal-coated side, which acts as a mirror. Because of the higher refractive index of the prism, the wavelength and, thus, the attainable structure sizes, are decreased significantly. Using a laser with a wavelength of $244\mathrm{nm}$, we could produce line patterns with a period of less than $100\mathrm{nm}$ and a width of $45\mathrm{nm}$. The introduced setup retains all the advantages of a Lloyd’s mirror interferometer, in particular the flexibility in periodicity.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

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