High resolution soft x-ray or ion beam lithographic mask

摘要

A lithographic process utilizing soft x-rays or ions to achieve high resolution is disclosed. The process is particularly useful and semiconductor processing where high resolution is required to achieve a high density. The process utilizes a mask to selectively expose a photoresist to soft x-rays of flood beams of ions. The mask comprises a thin metallic foil supported by a frame such that the foil is in tension. The frame includes optical alignment keys. A second patterned layer of metal is affixed to the foil to form areas which are non-transparent to the soft x-rays or flood ion beams for delineating the elements of a semiconductor circuit, for example. This permits the mask to be optically aligned using conventionally techniques with high resolution being achieved due to the short wavelength of the x-ray radiation or the ion beams.