Maskless photolithography using plasma displays

#The present invention relates to photolithography systems and methods, specifically, to maskless photolithography devices and methods for creating 2-D and 3-D patterns using a plasma display.

#Photolithography systems are known in the art that direct light beams onto a photosensitive surface covered by a mask, etching a desired pattern on the substrate corresponding to the void areas of the mask. Maskless photolithography systems are also known in the art as described in Singh-Gasson, Sangeet et al., Nature Biotechnology 17,974-78, 1999. The system described in that article uses an off-axis light source coupled with a digital mirror device to fabricate DNA chips containing probes for genes or other solid phase combinatorial chemistry to be performed in high-density microarrays.

#A number of patents also exist which relate to maskless photolithography systems, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,870,176; 6,060,224; 6,177,980; and 6,251,550; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

#In order that the manner in which the above recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates a maskless photolithography system using a plasma display device.

#FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a plasma display device.

#It should be understood that in certain situations for reasons of computational efficiency or ease of maintenance, the ordering and relationships of the blocks of the illustrated flow charts could be rearranged or re-associated by one skilled in the art. While the present invention will be described with reference to the details of the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings, these details are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

#Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments consistent with the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. First, briefly, the invention is a system and method to create two dimensional and three dimensional structures using a maskless photolithography system that is directly reconfigurable and does not require masks, templates or stencils to create each of the planes or layers on a multi layer two-dimensional or three dimensional structure. In an embodiment, the invention uses a plasma display device comprising ultraviolet (UV) light emitting pixels to illuminate a substrate that has photoreactive compounds applied to the exposed surface. The plasma display comprises an array of miniature plasma discharge cells, or pixels, that combine light generation and modulation to create individually addressable UV light pixels. Each element of an array of UV light pixels in a plasma display is activated by a network of electrodes and can be selectively turned on and off to create a desired two-dimensional light pattern. The emitted light beam, comprising light from each individual UV light pixel, can be directed towards a target substrate coated with a photoreactive compound. The UV light reacts with photoreactive compound to create a pattern on the substrate corresponding to the illumination pattern. In addition, an alignment fixture for mounting of the substrate allows the substrate to be moved in three dimensions, providing alignment in two, coplanar dimensions and the capability to produce three dimensional structures by aligning the substrate in a third dimension perpendicular to the two coplanar dimensions.

#I. Maskless Photolithography System