초록 ▼

In microlithographic systems, adaptedfor economical production of microchips with exceptionally small critical dimensions without exposure of the chip to potentially damaging radiation, wherein a beam of light is focused to a spot in photoresist layer excite a photoactive molecule in the spot, the e

In microlithographic systems, adaptedfor economical production of microchips with exceptionally small critical dimensions without exposure of the chip to potentially damaging radiation, wherein a beam of light is focused to a spot in photoresist layer excite a photoactive molecule in the spot, the effective size of the excitation is made smaller than the size of the spot by providing a beam of light of wavelength adapted to quench the excitation of the excitable species, shaping this second beam into a pattern with a central intensity minimum, and overlapping this central minimum with the central intensity maximum of the focused spot, so that within the spot the intensity of quenching light increases with distance from the center of the spot, thereby preferentially quenching excitation in the peripheral parts of the spot, and thereby reducing the effective size of the excitation and thus improving the resolution of the system. Systems where many such spots are simultaneously projected onto a resist layer, and simultaneously narrowed by quenching allow images of great complexity to be transfered quickly to the photoresist layer.

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] In apparatus adapted for photolithography for irradiating a selected region of a radiationally sensitive layer containing a radiationally excitable species, members of said species being adapted, within a brief interval after becoming so excited, to produce a change in at least one

[ I claim:] [1.] In apparatus adapted for photolithography for irradiating a selected region of a radiationally sensitive layer containing a radiationally excitable species, members of said species being adapted, within a brief interval after becoming so excited, to produce a change in at least one local property in said layer, including a source of exciting radiation adapted to excite said members and focusing means to focus said radiation to a pattern having a central maximum at said selected region, a method of increasing the resolution of said apparatus including the steps of:providing an excitable species, such that in addition to being adapted to becoming excited by the exciting radiation, members of the species are also adapted to loosing their excitation by exposure to quenching radiation of an appropriate wavelength during the interval between excitation and the production of said change in local properties;providing quenching radiation adapted to radiationally deexcite the excitation of said members, thereby preventing them from leading to said change in local properties in said layer;shaping said quenching radiation into a pattern with a central minimum, whereby within the central minimum, the intensity of quenching radiation generally increases with distance from the center of the central minimum;overlapping said central minimum with said central maximum, whereby the center of said central minimum substantially coincides with the center of said central maximum and whereby, within said central minimum, an excited member of said species is quenched by said quenching radiation with an efficiency which generally increases with the distance of said member from the center of said central minimum; andscanning said irradiated region over a chosen part of said radiationally sensitive layer, while said central maximum of exciting radiation and said central minimum of quenching radiation remain overlapping, thereby creating a high resolution image in the layer.