Creation of microstructures using heavy ion beam lithography

In this work, three-dimensional (3D) structures were produced in PMMA and CR-39 polymer resists using a carbon ion microbeam. To investigate possible advantages of heavy ions compared to the well-established proton beam lithography, the same resist materials were also irradiated with protons that had a range in the materials studied here similar to that of carbon ions. The microstructures produced in different resists were analysed after chemical etching. The quality of the bottom and side walls of the structures produced by protons and carbon ions were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that, for the resist materials tested, lithographic structures made with the 8 MeV carbon beam had more rough lateral and bottom surfaces compared to those made with 0.6 MeV proton beam lithography.