METHOD OF PRODUCING SPATIAL FINE STRUCTURES

• US 20080018891A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Frderung der Wissenschaften e)
• Original Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Frderung der Wissenschaften e)
• Inventors: Westphal, Volker, Quaas, Norbert, Hell, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 7,764,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/317
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6458 Fluorescence microscopy fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6489 Photoluminescence of semiconductors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/91 using penetration of dyes, e.g. fluorescent ink
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/956 Inspecting patterns on the surface of objects contactless testing of electronic circuits G01R31/308; testing currency G07D; manufacturing processes per se of semiconductor devices implementing a measuring step H01L22/10
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0076 arrangements using fluorescence or luminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/105 having substances, e.g. indicators, for forming visible images
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70616 Monitoring the printed patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70675 Latent image, i.e. measuring the image of the exposed resist prior to development

Abstract

A method of producing spatial fine structures comprises the steps of: selecting a luminophore from the group of luminophores displaying two different states, one of the two states being an active state in which luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, the other of the two states being an inactive state in which no luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, and the luminophore being reversibly, but essentially completely, transferable out the one state into the other state by means of an optical signal; adding the luminophore to a material; forming a spatial fine structure of the material; and fluorescence-microscopically examining whether the desired fine structure is present. The step of fluorescence-microscopically examining comprises the sub-steps of: outside measuring points of interest, transferring the luminophore into the other state with the optical signal, the luminophore being essentially completely transferred into the inactive state outside the measuring points, and measuring luminescence light only emitted by the luminophore in the active state, to even resolve lines of the fine structure at a distance of less than 100 nm.

Claims

1. A method of producing spatial fine structures comprising the steps of:

selecting a luminophore from the group of luminophores displaying two different states, one of the two states being an active state in which luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, the other of the two states being an inactive state in which no luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, and the luminophore being reversibly, but essentially completely, transferable out the one state into the other state by means of an optical signal;

adding the luminophore to a material;

forming a spatial fine structure of the material; and

fluorescence-microscopically examining whether the desired fine structure is present, the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining comprising the sub-steps of;

outside measuring points of interest, transferring the luminophore into the other state with the optical signal, the luminophore being essentially completely transferred into the inactive state outside the measuring points, and

measuring luminescence light only emitted by the luminophore in the active state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining, even lines at a distance of less than 100 nm are resolved.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, an intensity modulation of the luminescence light over a scan across the lines amounts to at least 20% of a maximum intensity of the luminescence light during the scan.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of transferring, the luminophore is transferred into the inactive state by stimulated emission depletion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of transferring, the luminophore is transferred into the inactive state by ground state depletion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step of adding, the luminophore is added to the material at a concentration between 10⁻

8 Mol/liter and 10<sup>−

2</sup> Mol/liter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, in the step of adding, the luminophore is added to the material at a concentration between 10⁻

7 Mol/liter and 10<sup>−

6</sup> Mol/liter.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising the additional step of selecting the material from the group of radiation sensitive materials, and wherein the step of forming comprises the sub-steps of

depositing a layer of the material onto a substrate,

irradiating the deposited layer within spatially defined areas, and

developing the irradiated layer in that parts of the layer are removed and the desired fine structure remains.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the step of selecting, the material is selected from the group of radiation sensitive materials consisting of materials sensitive to x-rays and materials sensitive to electron radiation.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the sub-step of developing, the irradiated areas of the layer are removed.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the sub-step of developing, the not irradiated areas of the layer are removed.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining is carried out prior to the sub-step of developing.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining is carried out after the sub-step of developing.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the sub-step of irradiating, the luminophore is destroyed in the irradiated areas of the layer.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, at least one optical element is used for imaging the luminescence light emitted by the luminophore onto a detector, which optical element is also used in the sub-step of irradiating.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, an immersion objective is used for imaging the luminescence light emitted by the luminophore onto a detector.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, a volatile liquid is used as an immersion liquid in combination with the immersion objective.

18. A method of producing spatial fine structures comprising the steps of:

selecting a material from the group of radiation sensitive materials;

selecting a luminophore from the group of luminophores displaying two different states, one of the two states being an active state in which luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, the other of the two states being an inactive state in which no luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, and the luminophore being reversibly, but essentially completely, transferable out the one state into the other state by means of an optical signal;

adding the luminophore to the material;

forming a spatial fine structure of the material, the step of forming comprises the sub-steps of;

depositing a layer of the material onto a substrate,

irradiating the deposited layer within spatially defined areas, and

developing the irradiated layer in that parts of the layer are removed and the desired fine structure remains; and

fluorescence-microscopically examining whether the desired fine structure is present, the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining by which even lines at a distance of less than 100 nm are resolved comprising the sub-steps of;

outside measuring points of interest, transferring the luminophore into the other state with the optical signal, the luminophore being essentially completely transferred into the inactive state outside the measuring points, and

measuring luminescence light only emitted by the luminophore in the active state, an intensity modulation of the luminescence light over a scan across the lines at a distance of less than 100 nm amounting to at least 20% of a maximum intensity of the luminescence light during the scan.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of transferring, the luminophore is transferred into the inactive state by stimulated emission depletion.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of transferring, the luminophore is transferred into the inactive state by ground state depletion.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein, in the step of adding, the luminophore is added to the material at a concentration between 10⁻

8 Mol/liter and 10<sup>−

2</sup> Mol/liter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the step of adding, the luminophore is added to the material at a concentration between 10⁻

7 Mol/liter and 10<sup>−

6</sup> Mol/liter.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the step of selecting, the material is selected from the group of radiation sensitive materials consisting of materials sensitive to x-rays and materials sensitive to electron radiation.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the sub-step of developing, the irradiated areas of the layer are removed.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the sub-step of developing, the not irradiated areas of the layer are removed.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the sub-step of irradiating, the luminophore is destroyed in the irradiated areas of the layer, and wherein the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining is carried out prior to the sub-step of developing.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of fluorescence-microscopically examining is carried out after the sub-step of developing.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, at least one optical element is used for imaging the luminescence light emitted by the luminophore onto a detector, which optical element is also used in the sub-step of irradiating.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, an immersion objective is used for imaging the luminescence light emitted by the luminophore onto a detector.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein, in the sub-step of measuring, a volatile liquid is used as an immersion liquid in combination with the immersion objective.