Multi-stencil character projection e-beam lithography – a fast and flexible way for high quality optical metamaterials

In this work we report on the strong improvement of pattern quality and significant write-time reduction using Character Projection with a multi-stencil character stage with more than 2000 apertures for the fabrication of nanomaterials and, in particular, on an optical metamaterial, which is called “Metamaterial Perfect Absorber”. The Character Projection e-beam lithography allows the transition from the time-consuming serial to a fast quasi-parallel writing method and opens the way for the fabrication of device areas which are impossible to realize with often in the R&D used SEM based Gaussian electron beam-writers. More than 150.000 times faster than the comparable Gaussian E-beam exposure, 100 times faster and with a factor of 10 improved pattern size homogeneity than the corresponding Variable Shaped E-beam exposure – these are our main results for the fabrication of optical metamaterials using a Variable Shaped E-beam with Character Projection.