# US 2025/0155822 A1 · Photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays

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- Number: US 2025/0155822 A1
- Document ID: US20250155822A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/838,815
- Filed: 2022-11-09
- Published: 2025-05-15
- Earliest claimed: 2022-02-18
- Assignees: Westlake University
- Applicants: Westlake University
- Inventors: Xijun LI; Luqing SHAO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250155822A1

## CPC

- G03F 7/70091: {Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings, e.g. annular, dipole or quadrupole settings; Partial coherence control, i.e. sigma or numerical aperture [NA]}
- G03F 7/70291: {Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices}
- G03F 7/70166: {Capillary or channel elements, e.g. nested extreme ultraviolet [EUV] mirrors or shells, optical fibers or light guides}
- G03F 7/70383: {Direct write, i.e. pattern is written directly without the use of a mask by one or multiple beams (maskless lithography using a programmable mask G03F7/70291)}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

A photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays is provided with a control device, an optical fiber transmission device, a light focusing array and an electric drive workpiece table, a photoetching light source, an de-excitation light source, a first-stage light splitting array, an electro-optical modulation array and a second-stage light splitting array; the control device is connected to the electro-optical modulation array and the electric drive workpiece table; the control device is used for controlling, on the basis of a design layout, the electro-optical modulation array to modulate laser emitted by a laser light source and controlling the electric drive workpiece table to move.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays, comprising a control device, an optical fiber transmission device, a light focusing array and an electric drive workpiece table, a photoetching light source, a de-excitation light source, a first-stage light splitting array, an electro-optical modulation array and a second-stage light splitting array, wherein the photoetching light source and the de-excitation light source respectively emit an exposure Gaussian beam and a de-excitation Gaussian beam with different wavelengths, the control device is connected to the electro-optical modulation array and the electric drive workpiece table, and is used for controlling the electro-optical modulation array to modulate a laser emitted by the laser light source and controlling the electric drive workpiece table to move based on a design layout.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the control device is used for decomposing the design layout into multiple layers of pattern depending on a processing technology, generating photoetching data based on each layer of pattern, and generating electro-optical modulation signal for the electro-optical modulator and workpiece table control signal for the electric drive workpiece table based on the photoetching data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the first-stage light splitting array is provided between the laser light source and the electro-optic modulation array, and comprises a first light splitter and n first-stage light channels, and the first-stage light splitting array is used for uniformly distributing the laser emitted by the laser light source into the n first-stage light channels through the first light splitter, and the n first-stage light channels output photoetching light in a form of an optical fiber coupler.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 3, wherein the electro-optical modulation array comprises n modulation channels forming an array, the modulation channels are correspondingly coupled with the first-stage light channels, a corresponding modulator is provided in each modulation channel, and each modulator corresponds to and controls and modulates the photoetching light output from the corresponding first-stage light channel.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 4, wherein the second-stage light splitting array is provided between the electro-optical modulation array and the optical fiber transmission device, and comprises a second light splitter and c second-stage light channels, wherein the second-stage light splitting array uniformly distributes the photoetching light pulses output from each of the n modulation channels of the electro-optical modulation array into the c second-stage light channels, and the c second-stage light channels output photoetching light pulses in a form of an optical fiber coupler.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber transmission device is an optical fiber bundle for photoetching, which is capable of at least receiving an exposure Gaussian beam and a de-excitation Gaussian beam with different wavelengths, and the optical fiber bundle for photoetching comprises c sub-optical fiber bundles, each of which comprises n optical fibers, each of which comprises an optical fiber core for transmitting light beams, an optical fiber cladding is provided around an outer side of the optical fiber core, a spiral phase structure is provided at an incident end of the optical fiber core, and a lens structure is provided at an outer side of an exit end of the optical fiber core.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the exposure Gaussian beam is ultraviolet light, and the de-excitation Gaussian beam is a laser beam, wherein during exposure, the de-excitation Gaussian beam is converted into a doughnut-shaped structured light beam, and the exposure Gaussian beam is located in an inner circle with a weakest light intensity of the doughnut-shaped structured light beam.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the light focusing array is a fiber lens that is capable of being coupled with the optical fiber transmission device.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The photoetching machine with optical fiber arrays according to claim 1, wherein the electric drive workpiece table comprises a plurality of driving devices to realize a positioning and control of an exposure position on a photoetching material in three axial directions XYZ, wherein the X-axis and the Y-axis are located in a focal plane in which the light focusing array focuses the optical signal, and the Z-axis is along a direction perpendicular to the focal plane.