Photolithography
0601102-156
[DEFINITION]
A technique that transfers a fine pattern onto substrate by the use
of light.
[DESCRIPTION]
In photolithography, a glass plate with a desired pattern drawn on
it is used as a mask. The mask is placed onto the substrate on which a thin film of photosensitive
material called the photoresist has been coated, to expose part of the substrate with visible or
ultraviolet rays through the mask. Since the solubility of the photoresist to the developer
solution is varied by the exposure to the light, the pattern drawn on the mask is transferred to the
photoresist thin film in the development process. Photolithography is indispensable to silicon
process. In the semiconductor industry, the required resolutions of horizontal patterns have
reached the submicrometer level, bringing light of shorter wavelengths into use.
[References]
(1)(2)(3)(5)(6)(7)(8)
[Related Terms]
Electron beam lithography, Photomask