Zirconia based functional sol–gel resist for UV and high resolution lithography

• A new highly inorganic ZrO2 based system, synthesized by sol–gel route, is proposed.
• The developed ZrO2 resist has been successfully patterned by UV and EB lithography.
• Several structures spanning from the micron range down to less than 50 nm.
• DNA has been selectively immobilized on the surface of ZrO2 microstructures.

The development of a functional negative tone sol–gel resist for Ultraviolet (UV) and Electron Beam (EB) lithography is presented. A new highly inorganic system based on ZrO2 is synthesized by sol–gel method.The lithographic performances have been optimized and several structures spanning from the micron range down to less than 50 nm have been achieved by UV and EB lithography. Moreover, in order to test the bio-affinity of the developed system, a genomic DNA probe has been attached onto the ZrO2 film surface. Different thermal treatments have been applied to the samples and preliminary results show different degrees of anchoring, depending on the final ZrO2 film structure (hybrid → inorganic or amorphous → crystalline). FT-IR characterization confirms the successful DNA functionalization of the patternable ZrO2 system, especially in the crystalline phase, opening the way to the design of new biosensor architectures.

Electron beam and UV lithography on ZrO2 hybrid sol–gel resist.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide