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.