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Lithography is a technique used to transfer a two-dimensional pattern onto a flat surface. Depending on the required outcome, many lithography methods can be used. This blog post will cover the four different types of lithography techniques and their applications. 

The Different Types of Lithography

When patterns need depositing, lithography is a process that utilizes UV light to transfer a geometric pattern onto a thin film or a substrate. This is carried out by spinning a layer of photoresist onto a piece of material and then exposing the photoresist to ultraviolet light. Before the photoresist is exposed, a mask is placed on top of the substrate to stop certain areas from being illuminated by the light. The geometric pattern is finally relieved by removing the unprocessed regions with the help of an aqueous solvent. One of the main reasons for creating a patterned film is to protect a substrate, but other reasons are possible.   

Electron Beam Lithography

Electron beam lithography (e-beam lithography or EBL) transfers a pattern on a substrate surface where extremely high resolution or unique designs are required. It is one of the slower lithography processes and is more expensive, but the result is of a high standard. 

Ion Beam Lithography

Ion beam lithography (focused ion beam lithography or IBL) is a process that uses a focused beam of ions to create tiny nanostructures on the surface of a substrate. This is used to create items such as circuit boards and is commonly used in the semiconductor industry.  

Optical Lithography (Photolithography)

Optical lithography, also known as photolithography, is a microfabrication process that involves selectively removing parts of a thin film before other processing actions (deposition or etching) are undertaken. At Playtpus Technologies, our photolithography process can be finalized using metal lift-off or wet etching. Each of these methods can be used to transfer the photoresist pattern onto a thin film. 

• Metal lift-off is a process where the thin film is deposited on top of the patterned photoresist, and then the photoresist is dissolved so the pattern can be revealed.
  
• Wet etching involves depositing the photoresist on top of the metal film. Parts of the metal are removed with specific liquid chemicals, and then the photoresist is removed by a solvent to reveal the pattern.

X-ray Lithography

X-ray lithography (XRL) is frequently used to manufacture semiconductor devices. It is used to remove specific parts of a thin film of photoresist. The X-rays are used to transfer a geometric pattern onto a substrate 

Platypus Technologies and Lithography Services

Platypus Technologies provides various photolithography services for several applications, including biosensors, chemical sensors, electrodes and MEMs devices. Additionally, if you require, Platypus Technologies supplies negative and positive photoresists for photolithography processes.

Please contact us today for more information about our lithography services or other products.

Platypus Technologies offers a customizable dicing service for a range of substrate materials. Accommodations can be made for both silicon wafers and glass substrates. Substrates are scribed, and then broken into individual pieces. Well-defined scribing lines are made with a diamond finished scribing wheel. This process does not involve heat therefore prevents any potential damage to a substrate material. 

A custom metal coating can be created from electron beam vapour deposition on different substrates. Various systems are available for metal deposition, but the highest purity custom metal coatings are achieved via e-beam deposition. An electron beam is the best way to achieve a thin film coating to protect your surfaces.

Creating a patterned metal on a substrate can be done through various methods. Metal lift-off represents just one fabrication method that entails three steps: 1) patterning a photosensitive polymer film onto the target substrate, 2) metal deposition onto the patterns polymer film, and 3) removal of polymer with a solvent.  

As more advancements are made in the electronics industry, thin-film metal coatings remain in high demand. The team at Platypus Technologies has done custom work with a range of companies, from completing small R&D projects to creating continual partnerships. Our credibility has been built based on our internal expertise, high-quality metal deposition, and attention to detail.  

Thin films are used in a wide range of advanced applications in surface science, and studies surrounding thin films have significantly advanced solid state chemistry and physics. Surface science relates to any surfaces, interfaces and their applications and any research or development in the field. Thin films play a large part in surface science, and this blog post aims to cover how and why.

Reactive gas molecules form what is known as plasma. The ions and electrons in plasma are used to remove unwanted organic contaminants. Unwanted particles are removed through a vacuum system. This cleaning procedure creates an ideal sterilization process. In addition, plasma cleaning eliminates the need for expensive solvents since substrate surfaces can be cleaned via a chemical reaction within plasma molecules.  

Wound healing assays measure cell migration over a two-dimensional (2D) monolayer. As cell migration takes place throughout numerous physiological processes, it has been studied in a variety of contexts from tissue injury, wound healing, cancer metastasis and more. Throughout the following post, we will explain the applications of wound healing assays and the importance of each.

Ultra-flat gold films by Platypus Technologies are created via electron-beam metal deposition under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Our gold films have a uniform orientation (Au(111)), high purity, and low surface roughness.  

Electrodes are conductors that permit a flow of electricity in and out of an object. The application range for electrodes is vast, and various different types exist for distinct purposes. The surface resistivity electrode is one of these unique formats.

Platypus Technologies offers electron beam metal deposition services and expertise equip with handling custom projects. Our operations prioritize metal purity and smoothness. In order to create high quality metal coatings, each step involved in the process is carefully executed.  

Many biomedical research projects revolve around analysis of the cell. Information about cell types, cell proliferation, cell count, and cell migration is critical to advancing disease treatment and health studies. To extract this knowledge, scientists rely on various types of assays that focus on characterizing a specific property or function of target cell types. This blog post will provide a brief overview of the difference between invasion and cell migration assays, with an emphasis on cell migration assays from Platypus Technologies.

Disk electrodes are one of the essential components for performing many electrochemical experiments. Measurements such as cyclic voltammetry are widely used methods for the characterization of nearly any material or process that involves electron transfer – something ubiquitous in any material or component that will be used as part of an electronic system.

Photolithography, also known as optical lithography, is a microfabrication technique that uses light to produce precisely patterned thin films over substrates such as silicon wafers. These patterned films typically protect selected areas of the underlying substrate during subsequent processing, such as etching or metal deposition.

Automation and Robotics Allow for Higher Precision in Industrial Fluid Dispensing Applications

Precision fluid dispensing systems are utilized in a range of advanced manufacturing applications. At Platypus Technologies, we employ advanced fluid dispensing technology in our biosensor and bioassay fabrication processes, as well as in our conformal coating solutions.

Surface characterization is an important process that offers an enhanced understanding of the relationships among the structural properties of materials. In the context of thin films, surface characterization can help to establish a films’ fitness for its intended applications. 

Photolithography is a fabrication process used in the production of patterned thin films for precision applications such as microelectronics, biosensors, and custom patterned electrodes. The process utilizes ultraviolet (UV) light to expose a minutely detailed pattern within a light-sensitive photoresist coating.

The coating is deposited on a substrate material and a mask is placed atop the photoresist. UV light therefore interacts only with the areas of the photoresist that are left exposed underneath the mask. Once the mask is removed, a precise geometric pattern remains on the substrate surface, formed via exposure to the UV light.

Silicon chips are a type of integrated circuit that is the primary electronic component of computing devices. The chips are mainly made from silicon (as the name suggests), which is the second most abundant element on the earth. In the last few years, there has been a significant shortage of silicon chips across the world. In this article, we explain the reasons why and the effects of this shortage.

Cell culture surfaces are surfaces on which cells are grown under controlled conditions away from their natural environment. The cells under investigation are isolated from the tissue and are sustained and preserved under carefully controlled conditions. 

The History of Cell Culture Surfaces

In the past century, cell culture, growth, and differentiation have moved from fringe experiments to a widely used bioproduction tool. In this time, the cell culture surfaces themselves have evolved as the research requirements adjust.