Demagnifying ion projection - A promising alternative to optical and x-ray lithography

Ion projection lithography shows the advantage of demagnifying ion-optical mask to wafer pattern transfer with sub-0.25 μm resolution combined with large depth of focus. There is also the possibility of electronic alignment ('pattern lock') of the projected ion image on-line during chip exposure with nanometer precision. Potential application areas of ion projection lithography include high volume silicon and GaAs chip fabrication and - implementing exposure field stitching and electrostatic step exposure techniques - the manufacture of flat panel devices based on vacuum microelectronics as well as patterning of curved surfaces.