Enhanced Surface-Plasmon-Polariton Interference for Nanolithography by a Micro-Cylinder-Lens Array

A practical interference lithography scheme based on surface plasmon polaritions (SPPs) is suggested. In this scheme, a micro-cylinder-lens array is employed to generate the evanescent wave (EW) carrying much energy. When the top of the cylinder lenses are in close contact with a metal film coated on a resist, the energy of EW will launch strong SPPs and form enhanced interference nanopatterns in the resist. The simulation results confirm that a high quality nanopattern with a critical dimension of λ/7 can be achieved in the resistance. The analysis results indicate that the height of the cylinder lenses can provide a large tolerance to decrease the fabrication difficulty of this element.