Quantiscript, Inc.

Université De Sherbrooke

Societe De Commercialisation Des Produits De La Recherche Appliquee Socpra Sciences Et Genie S.e.c.

Socpra Sciences Et Genie S.e.c.

Patrick Boissy

Jacques Beauvais

Dominique Drouin

Eric Lavallee

Jonathan Genest

Annick Sauve

Eric Lavallée

Yousef Awad

Éric Lavallée

Mélanie Cloutier

The present disclosure relates to an element for sensing strain, stress or force. The sensing element comprises a substrate, a pair of electrodes on the substrate, and a network of carbon nanotubes for sensing the strain, stress or force within a structure. The network of carbon nanotubes defines at least in part an electrical path between the electrodes of the pair, and the electrical path has a resistance which is altered by the sensed strain, stress or force. Combining a plurality of sensing elements coupled to a common substrate forms a sensing system.

Carbon nanotubes based sensing elements and system for monitoring and mapping force, strain and stress

A lithography method for fabricating structures of etch-resistant metal-semiconductor compound on a substrate with sub-micrometer scale resolutions is described. Superposed layers of metal and semiconductor capable of reacting with each other to form etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound are deposited on the substrate. Radiation from a X-ray/EUV source propagates through a patterned X-ray transparent/EUV reflective mask and is projected on the superposed metal and semiconductor layers. The X-ray transparent mask includes X-ray absorbing patterns imparted to the X-ray radiation while the EUV reflective mask includes EUV absorbing patterns also imparted to the EUV radiation. The energy of X-ray/EUV photons is absorbed locally by the metal and semiconductor layers. Absorption of this energy induces a reaction between the two layers responsible for the formation of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound with structures corresponding to the patterns imparted to the radiation by the X-ray/EUV mask. The metal layer is subsequently etched using selective plasma or wet etching, leaving the structures of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound intact. The semiconductor layer may also be etched using selective plasma or wet etching, also leaving the structures of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound intact. The underlying layers of the substrate may also be partially or completely etched away using selective plasma or wet etching. Again, the structures of etch resistant metal/semiconductor compound protects the substrate against etching whereby these structures form corresponding patterns in the underlying layers of the substrate.

Fabrication of structures of metal/semiconductor compound by X-ray/EUV projection lithography

A process for producing a pattern of negative electron beam resist comprises: depositing a layer of plasma polymerized fluoropolymer on a face of a substrate, the plasma polymerized fluoropolymer forming the negative electron beam resist; producing an electron beam; moving the electron beam on the layer of plasma polymerized fluoropolymer to define the pattern, the layer then having exposed fluoropolymer areas defining the pattern and unexposed fluoropolymer areas; and removing the unexposed fluoropolymer areas to leave only the pattern on the face of the substrate. According to an alternative, the process comprises: depositing the layer of negative electron beam resist on a face of a substrate; producing an electron beam; moving the electron beam on the layer of negative electron beam resist to define the pattern, the layer then having exposed resist areas defining the pattern and unexposed resist areas; treating the patterned layer with a base solution to decrease a dry etch resistance of the unexposed resist areas; and dry etching the unexposed resist areas to leave only the pattern on the face of the substrate.

Plasma polymerized electron beam resist

To fabricate masks for deep ultra-violet lithography and for extreme ultra-violet lithography, a layer of material opaque to deep ultra-violet radiation and an extreme ultra-violet radiation absorbent layer are each deposited successively with a layer of silicon and a layer of metal on a respective transparent substrate. A focused electron beam is displaced on the superposed layers of metal and silicon to form a structure of etch-resistant metal/silicon compound. The deep ultra-violet mask is then formed by etching the three layers to leave on the substrate, the metal/silicon compound structure with the extreme ultra-violet absorbent layer beneath it. The extreme ultra-violet mask is fabricated by forming the absorbent layer successively of an etch-stop sublayer, a repair buffer sublayer, and a sublayer of extreme ultra-violet radiation absorbent material, which, after etching, leaves on the substrate, the metal/silicon compound structure with the extreme ultra-violet radiation absorbent sub-layer and the repair buffer sublayer beneath it.

Method using sub-micron silicide structures formed by direct-write electron beam lithography for fabricating masks for extreme ultra-violet and deep ultra-violet lithography

A method for fabricating a sub-micron structure of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound on a substrate of semiconductor material comprises the step of depositing onto the substrate a layer of metal capable of reacting with the semiconductor material to form etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound, and the step of producing a focused electron beam. The focused electron beam is applied to the layer of metal to locally heat the metal and semiconductor material and cause diffusion of the metal and semiconductor material in each other to form etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound. The focused electron beam is displaced onto the layer of metal to form the structure of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound. Finally, the layer of metal is wet etched to leave on the substrate only the structure of metal/semiconductor compound. Following wet etching of the layer of metal, an oxygen plasma etch can be conducted to remove a carbon deposit formed at the surface of the structure of etch-resistant metal/semiconductor compound. Also, the substrate may be subsequently etched to remove a thin layer of metal rich semiconductor material formed at the surface of the substrate by reaction, at room temperature, of the metal and semiconductor material with each other.

Fabrication of sub-micron etch-resistant metal/semiconductor structures using resistless electron beam lithography

Fabrication of sub-micron silicide structures on silicon using

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Sherbrooke, Canada

Jacques Beauvais