The laser lithography system

The fke operates a HEIDELBERG DWL 66 fs laser lithography system for the production of 3 inch masks for optical lithography.

Before you even think about drawing a mask, read these rules first!!!

Then, if you are still interested in an optical mask, contact Markus Schinnerl.

Mask design

For the mask production a drawing in AutoCAD DXF format for AutoCAD version 12 is needed. This file will then be translated into a format compatible with our Laser Writer. The design rules of the conversion program can be found here: P:\PUBLIC\HIMT_DWL66

Follow these mask design guidelines to ensure proper translation, as well as the following additional rules, some of which are a result of the hardware used at FKE:

Mask size: 3 inches. In principle, any mask size up to 6" is possible, but we do not stock mask blanks other than 3".

The point (0,0) in AutoCAD represents the center of the mask. Center your drawing around this point!

For 3" mask blanks, the structures should be contained in a 4.5 x 4.5 cm square centered around (0,0). Additional text can be added outside of this area. If you use a larger area for your design, keep in mind that you may not be able to use the entire design area because the Mask Aligner plate holder window limits the 4.5 x 4.5 cm size.

Do not use layer 0. Place your entire design in one layer (preferably layer 1). Delete all other layers used during drawing. If you cannot delete layers, delete the contents of all unnecessary layers. If your design is NOT in layer 1, you must tell!

 Use only closed figures such as rectangles and polylines with zero line width for your drawing. A single line or point will prevent the translation program from completing its work. If you are working with polylines, be careful not to go back and forth on the same line in one go - again, the conversion program will not work. A line cannot be used as part of the boundary of two different figures. Make sure that two adjacent objects are each complete. Do NOT use "special" functions like blocks, regions,.... even if it saves you a lot of time - the conversion program will NOT work and you will have to do all the work again the old fashioned way -> rectangles, polylines - nothing else!

If you are not sure how to draw a particular design, ask Markus Schinnerl.

Every closed figure in your drawing will be transparent, the area outside your closed figures will be opaque. Think about what you want to do with your mask - if you need it to take off, you will most likely need to invert it. It's also possible to invert a drawing during conversion, so if you find it easier to draw your design, you can do it that way. However, if you need a negative image of the design, be sure to specify that!

Islands are opaque areas surrounded by transparent areas. Islands can be formed between two or more closed figures (this is the recommended method) or with an inset polyline. Only one island per polyline is guaranteed to break correctly.

It is also possible to apply some XOR logic in the conversion software. For example, if you draw a small rectangle inside a larger rectangle and select XOR, the area between the two rectangles will be exposed and the area inside the small rectangle will remain unexposed. Note, however, that this can only apply to the entire design.

The text is converted to a block font and is transparent. Only letters and numbers are supported, do not use special characters.

Even if you have worked through the above instructions: Before you sit down at your AutoCAD computer and start drawing, contact the operator and tell them what you want. (The questions will be: What are the dimensions? What are the precision requirements? Do you need your mask for a lift-off/image reversal procedure?)

DWL 66 fs Laser Lithography System

The DWL 66FS is a high-resolution imaging system that uses a recordable 25-nanometer address grid to expose metallized plates or wafers at over one million dpi.

Design data can be created with any program in DXF (preferred), GDSII, HPGL, Gerber or CIF format and is converted to LIC format on a "CONVERT" workstation. The design data is then transferred to the system via an FTP connection.

The displacement of the recordings on the plate is carried out with a table that can be positioned in X and Y, the movement of which is controlled by a laser measurement system. The laser recorder is supported by a vibration-isolated table and is housed in an environmental chamber to ensure that a sufficient amount of clean, temperature-controlled air flows through the unit during operation.

Minimum Exposure Size:

Writing head 2 mm: 0.6 μm

Writing head 4 mm: 1 μm Print head 10 mm: 2.5 μm