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US 6,955,767 B2Granted
Scanning probe based lithographic alignment
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorYong Chen
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Abstract
The lithographic process described herein involves aligning a patterned mold with respect to an alignment mark that is disposed on a substrate based upon interaction of a scanning probe with the alignment mark. By this method, the patterned mold may be aligned to an atomic accuracy (e.g., on the order of 10 nm or less), enabling nanometer-scale devices to be fabricated. A device formed by this lithographic method and a system for implementing this lithographic method with alignment also are described.
Claims14
A lithographic method, comprising:
- forming a bottom layer and a scanning probe alignment mark on a substrate;
- forming a thin film on the bottom layer leaving the scanning probe alignment mark exposed for interaction with a scanning probe;
- aligning a patterned mold with respect to the exposed alignment mark based upon interaction of the exposed alignment mark with a scanning probe extended toward the alignment mark;
- and
- urging the aligned patterned mold into the thin film.
2 more elements
A lithographic method, comprising:
- aligning a patterned mold with respect to an alignment mark disposed on a substrate based upon interaction of a scanning probe with the alignment mark, wherein the patterned mold is aligned based upon detection of a tunneling current between the scanning probe and the alignment mark.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.