Characterization of an EBL system: the influence of process parameters on thickness resist and engraving shapes

In LIGA process, the low flexibility due to the use of masks might be overcome using the electron beam of a scansion electron microscope (SEM) instead of the synchrotron radiation. In this way, through the vector control of the beam, it is possible to irradiate a specific path on the resist without using any mask. Anyway, it is important to remark that the Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) can not include all the applications of the X‐ray LIGA technique but it could be a valid alternative only for some specific uses. In particular, some limits concerning the impression of high thickness resists are expected. An EBL system based on a SEM was recently implemented by the authors and some tests were carried out to characterize the device performances. Aim of this work is to asses the system performances in terms of maximum impressible thickness resist and shape of the engraved entities. Several tests were carried out by varying the resist thickness and the process parameters.