Resist materials for proton beam writing: A review

Here we give an update of the growing number of resist materials that have been evaluated for PBW. In particular we evaluate the exposure and development strategies for the most promising resist materials like PMMA, HSQ, SU-8 and AR-P and compare their characteristics with respect to properties such as contrast and sensitivity. Besides an updated literature survey we also present new findings on AR-P and PMGI resists. Since PBW is a direct write technology it is important to look for fast ways to replicate micro and nanostructures. In this respect we will discuss the suitability and performance of several resists for Ni electroplating for mold fabrication in nano imprint technologies. We will summarize with an overview of proton resist characteristics like sensitivity, contrast, aspect ratio and suitability for electroplating.