Fast

HR

Today, even the smallest high-resolution (HR) nanostructures need to be structured to give the highest productivity, yield, and fidelity. With FastHR this becomes possible

Introduction

Our FastHR technology represents a breakthrough in EBL performance, achieved by seamless integration and harmonization of our system’s core components. It enables ultra-high-resolution lithography across the full write field with maximum yield and productivity. FastHR ensures exceptional resolution and pattern uniformity even at very high beam currents and at the edges of large write fields. The result: the fastest, most precise, and most reliable high-resolution direct-write patterning solution in the Gaussian EBL market.

High Resolution Lithography accelerated: High Throughput with uncompromising Precision

Key features

RAITH EBL systems feature advanced electron optics designs optimized for maintaining the smallest beam diameters even at high beam currents, resulting in exceptionally high beam current densities. By leveraging these capabilities, both fast and high-resolution lithography with high electron doses can be achieved down to the smallest nanostructures.

Ultimate pattern uniformity, even at large beam deflection angles, is ensured through precise automatic system calibrations and continuous “on-the-fly” corrections of beam focus, astigmatism and distortion across the entire write field. This guarantees superior lithography performance in the write field corners, even when using large writing fields.

Stable beam current is essential for achieving reproducible nanostructures and maintaining consistent pattern dimensions. As a result, minimization of critical dose variations is achieved with RAITH systems, ensuring reliable pattern fidelity and repeatability throughout the entire lithography process.

Benefits for

Precision at Scale: Uniform, High-Fidelity Nanostructures Across Large Write Fields

Uniform and high-fidelity patterns across the entire write field

State-of-the-art nanodevices—particularly those used in nanophotonics and optoelectronics, such as photonic crystals and metalenses—demand highly reproducible and uniform nanostructures with the smallest critical dimensions (CD) over large areas. RAITH EBL systems ensure consistent, high-fidelity patterning performance across the entire write field.

Excellent stitching and overlay accuracy

Extremely precise pattern placement, achieved with perfectly shaped, well-focused, and ideally round beams—even in the write field corners—ensures superior stitching and overlay accuracy. This precision enables reliable exposure of the highest-resolution nanostructures, even across large write fields.

High throughput, even for the smallest nanostructures

By exploiting high beam current densities while maintaining excellent beam focus, RAITH systems maximize throughput for high-resolution nanostructures. Shorter exposure dwell times (beam-on times) further enhance overall writing speed without compromising resolution or pattern quality.

Minimum overhead

Utilizing large write fields with outstanding pattern placement accuracy and maintained high resolution minimizes overhead from frequent stage movements and associated settling times. As a result, overall throughput is significantly improved, even in complex or large-area patterning tasks.

How it works

FastHR: Enabling high-resolution lithography with high beam currents

FastHR technology relies on sophisticated beam calibration across the entire write field. Without proper calibration—especially for large write fields—beam imperfections are inevitable due to fundamental geometric and electron-optical limitations (Fig. 1a).

Using precise calibration standards together with advanced calibration algorithms enables accurate correction of focus, astigmatism, and distortion within the selected write field. For example, even at the maximum deflection angle of a 1mm write field, FastHR maintains a perfectly focused, round beam shape with the highest placement accuracy.
During the calibration routine conducted prior to exposure, correction parameters are determined, stored in look-up tables, and subsequently applied to the beam “on the fly” during writing. This process effectively eliminates the distortions shown in Fig. 1b, resulting in the ideal beam characteristics illustrated in Fig. 1c after correction.

Correcting the beam across the write field is one challenge; maintaining optimal focus while operating at high beam currents is an even greater one. Thanks to superior electron optics and advanced beam calibration algorithms, RAITH EBL systems achieve exceptionally high beam current densities, enabling fast, high-resolution lithography with outstanding pattern placement accuracy—even in the corners of large write fields, as demonstrated in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.

Illustration showing the automatic and dynamiy corrections of AutoRun

Fig. 1a-c:. a) Geometric and electron optical principles leading to the beam imperfections that can be seen in Fig 1b). b) Uncorrected beam showing astigmatism, defocus, and distortions. c) Automatic correction of focus, astigmatism and distortion,

Excellent pattern uniformity: Nested Ls with different pitches, written at 20nA beam current. Images taken in upper left, lower left, center, upper right, and lower right corner of 1mm write field.