Processing nanolithography under AFM with inspection of the part at the same time.

What is it about?

A new in-process atomic-force microscopy (AFM) based inspection is presented for nanolithography to compensate for any deviation such as instantaneous degradation of the lithography probe tip. Traditional method used the AFM probes for lithography work and retract to inspect the obtained feature but this practice degrades the probe tip shape and hence, affects the measurement quality. This paper suggests a second dedicated lithography probe that is positioned back-to-back to the AFM probe under two synchronized controllers to correct any deviation in the process compared to specifications.

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Why is it important?

This method shows that the quality improvement of the nanomachining, in progress probe tip wear, and better understanding of nanomachining.

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