LASER BEAM PHOTOLITHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM FOR INTEGRATED OPTICS APPLICATIONS.

The system described seems to be able to produce Integrated Optical devices more efficiently than the standard VLSI photographic techniques and at a more reduced cost as compared to electron beam lithography. The pattern is directly created on the substrate, and pattern variations are easily performed by means of software. The intensity control enables continuous linewidth changing during the run. This ability of having several intensity levels on the same patterns is a useful feature of this system, and can be applied to detailed research of the laser photoresist interaction in order to fabricate 2-D and 3-D structures in the photoresist. The best resolution obtained so far after developing, was of 0. 8 mu m, corresponding to 1. 3 L(th), where L(th) is the theoretical resolution defined by lambda /2(NA) equals 0. 6 mu m.