NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ - Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 2006/08/21 - Conventionally, the fabrication of thin film nanostructures is primarily done by using selective etching or templating growth on a prepatterned resist and then performing lift-off.

The solvents used in developing resist are typically toxic and add to the cost of lithographic processing. Recently, many environmentally friendly lithographic processes have been designed using either a water-based solution or supercritical carbon dioxide to develop the resist. A novel pure water developable spin-coatable lanthanum strontium manganese oxide (LSMO) resist has been developed by scientists in Taiwan. The use of pure water instead of organic or alkaline solvents would undoubtedly be not only environmentally desirable but also could greatly simplify the imaging process.

During semiconductor or thin film production, a conventional resist serves as passive masking function which is removed after the circuit is generated. The solvents used in developing resist are typically volatile and toxic, contributing to health hazards and environmental pollution.

Dr. Wei-Fang Su, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Taiwan National University, explained a novel water-based process to Nanowerk: "We have developed a direct writing resist from the LSMO using its precursor solution. This solution is functioned as a resist via an auto ignition mechanism during electron beam exposure, and the patterned LSMO film can be developed using nontoxic and environmental friendly pure water."

Read the full article on the Nanowerk website.

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By Michael Berger, Copyright 2006 Nanowerk LLC.

Agency / Source: Nanowerk, LLC

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