Elionix Operating Manual - ASRC

LaNMP

Last Modified - Rezlind Bushati 10/30/16

1. Preparing Samples

a) Prepare and clean sample as usual for spin coating

b) Look for appropriate spin curves to get desired thickness of your resist if necessary

c) Drop your resist on your chip (PMMA/ZEP etc)

d) spin coat your E-beam Resist

d) Bake your spin coated resist for the appropriate time/temperature (Can also look online if not sure
which resist needs what time/temperature of baking)

e) Your sample is now ready to be exposed.

2. Preparing design and file for writing.

NOTE: WECAS is the proprietary software that Elionix uses to prepare its files. It has its own settings for
design and drawing, however it is recommended to use an outside source such as AutoCAD to design
more intricate designs, then convert the AutoCAD files into the appropriate format as shown below.

AUTOCAD

a) Open AutoCAD. Design wanted pattern, and make sure it is all in the positive (x>0, y>0
regime). WECAS does not work well with negative coordinate
b) Make sure to assign a different LAYER every different portion of your pattern, as it will be
much easier to work with and isolate desired designs.

c) Once done, SAVE AS DXF 2010 FILE. (WECAS ACCEPTS DXF AND GDS FILES, BUT NOT DWG)
 WECAS CELL FILE

a) Open WECAS. to be exactly accurate, go to Dose Calculator, and modify your Field Size, Dot
number, pitches, Area Dose, Beam Current, Dose time as necessary. NOTE: This will be very
important in optimizing your run, as well as getting a good idea of how long to develop, and if
you are exposing too much/not enough. (It is just a calculator, it does not change any of those
values in your file, you will have to change the separate values to match your calculation so you
are consistent.

b) Select your field size and dot size

c) Select DXF or GDS file to convert your AutoCAD DXF or your GDS file into a cell file
d) Take note of the layers if you want to only import a certain layer, and also take note of the units
in the left.

e) Give your CELL file a name, and convert. NOTE: Give it a name that is less than 8 characters.
Sometimes it does not save properly.
f) Click Conversion

g) Once your CELL file is created, it will prompt you to open your cell file.
h) Open your cell file, and give it the coordinates you want. (Usually just give x=0, y=0 as you will
be moving the coordinates in the future as necessary)

i) Your pattern should now show up on WECAS. (Here is an example, there are lines running
through the solid structures, but that is just a graphics issue in WECAS)
j) Place Field on your pattern. With this button, WECAS automatically places the fields of writing
around your pattern.

k) Choose your writing order and give your field a name

l) Now your pattern should have boxes( the fields) covering it.

SIDE NOTE: Alignment Marks (If necessary)

If you are using alignment marks, such as when you want to write a second
time on the same chip, in a very specific area, these are the steps:

a) Press the alignment marks button

 b) You will be prompted to use either a 2 point or 4 point alignment. **

c) Regardless of which you use, put in the x and y coordinates of your two
alignment marks, as specified by the x and y coordinates of your alignment
marks in your AutoCAD file.

d) Now your EBL writing will write with respect to these alignment marks.

i) If you changed your pitch in your calculations, remember to set your pitch value. **

j) Now you are done with your CEL File, so Save the condition file. SAVE CON

Now that you have a Condition File, you can create a Schedule File, which is the last file format we will
work with.
3. WECAS CON/SCH Files

a) Click Edit Schedule Execution, Select CON File and enter your desired dose time (As calculated very
early in the beginning of WECAS)
b) If you need to matrix your con files (As one would usually do in a dose test to
optimize your runs) There is a matrix Con file button which can be used.
c) Set your Matrix Con file options **

IF ALIGN MARKS USED

a) Click "Set Option"

b) Set Registration to “ON” and Control Type to "Manual"

c) Once your con files are in your schedule file run, click Save Schedule File.

Now we are done with the Design Portion. Let's go to Loading Procedure
4. Loading Procedure

a) First and foremost, look inside the load lock. If you see the sample holder plate, then the EBL is
waiting to be loaded. If you see only a rod, that means the EBL is writing something! Do not vent or
change anything until it is done. **

c) Once you see that the Sample holder is in the load lock, make sure that the EXCHANGE READY button
is green in the EBL Software.
d) Vent the load lock by pressing the top red switch UP to VENT position. Wait until the VENT light is
solid and stops blinking.

d) slowly open the door by pulling the rod out.

e) There are three possible load positions. Load your sample into one of the three positions Using the
holder clip so it stays in the corner of the slot and cannot move freely.

f) Close the load lock, and Evacuate by pressing the top red switch DOWN to EVAC Position. Wait until
the light stops blinking and stays solid.

g) Once evacuated, open the gate valve by pressing the bottom DOOR Switch UP to OPEN.

h) Once you hear the door open, unlock the rod and plate by turning it counter clockwise and slowly
push it all the way until the end of the chamber.

i) Once at the end, turn the rod counter clockwise for a few turns (~10 turns) to release the rod from the
sample holder.

j) Once released, slowly pull the rod out of the main chamber and make sure the spring is visible through
the window of the load lock.

k) Lock the rod into place so it does not move.

l) Close the gate valve by pressing the bottom DOOR switch DOWN to Close

Your sample is now loaded!

5. Adjusting Beam Current and Focus

Once your sample is loaded, we can now go to the EBL software and prepare our beam.

a) Click "Beam" then you will see a list of different beam currents
b) Recall desired beam current (As specified by your calculations in WECAS)

d) Click ISOLATION VALVE to open the shutter between the e-beam gun and the substrate. The
ISOLATION VALVE button should now be orange.
d) Click FARADAY CUP To move the stage to the faraday cup, and to measure that the beam current is
coinciding with what we want.

e) Once the stage stops moving, you will be in the faraday cup, and click BLK to open the beam shutter.
f) You will now see a black circle. Move the stage to the center of the circle. (Go to the screen on the
left, right click and select MOVE STAGE (CENTER))

g) BLK your beam again, and click on Measurement under PAM

h) the PAM measures your beam current, and use the arrows on the right to adjust the current to
targeted value.

Now that our current is good, let’s focus our beam.

i) Go to REFERENCE to focus at high magnification.

j) once your stage moves to reference, click BLK to again see through the SEM.
k) Zoom in until you see beads, and focus on the reference by right clicking and focusing and stigmating.

l) Once you are satisfied with the focus, BLK the beam again.

Now we are ready for our machine to write.

6. EXPOSURE

a) Open WECAS, and open your schedule file that you created earlier.

b) Click NEXT
c) Your schedule file will be at the origin. Click on VIEW -> disk/wafer type -> Multipiece -> enter chip
dimensions so we can have a rough estimate of where on our chip the pattern will be.
e) If you simply want to write somewhere in the center, go to MOVE PATTERN

f) Click somewhere on the center of your chip, and click OK and save the file again.
(NOTE: If you want to write a set distance from the origin of your chip, such as 4 mm to the right, 5 mm
up. You MOVE STAGE to origin of the chip in WECAS, then on the EBL Software shift your stage the
desired distance. Then MOVE PATTERN to Read Stage Position)**

g) Click Next once your pattern is where you desire

h) Perform Field Correction

Once correction is done, Click on Quit

h) Click Calc on the right to estimate writing time, then Click EXPOSE and OK

You are now finished! Just sit back and wait for it to finish.

If Using Alignment Markers**

a) Once Field Correction is done, you will click Exposure as above.

b) Now, you will be prompted in the SEM of the EBL to find your alignment markers TWICE so it
corrects for errors in rotation/translation

c) Once the following message shows up on your Reg-A mark, press BLK button to see the beam,
and find your Mark A
 d) Move your center to the Mark, and zoom in, making sure it is as accurate as possible.

e) It will prompt you to find the other markers in the same fashion, and repeat step d

f) Once done with your last marker, it will begin exposing relative to your markers.

7. Completing Exposure and Retrieving Sample

a) When exposure is completed, click OK.

b) Go back to the EBL Software, click ISOLATION VALVE to turn it gray and shut it down
c) Click EXCHANGE to turn it green so that you are ready to exchange.

d) Go to the load lock area, and evacuate again so that you can open the door.
e) once evacuated, open the door.

f) Unlock the rod and push it slowly into the chamber into the end so we can retrieve our sample
g) Turn the rod clockwise to screw it in to the sample holder until its secure and won't turn more

h) Slowly pull out the sample holder into the main chamber.

**

i) Lock it into place

j) Close the door

k) VENT the load lock as before, and wait until the LED stops blinking
l) Pull the sample holder out of the load lock, and retrieve your sample

m) Close the load lock, and evacuate so that it is ready for next time to be used.
n) Don't forget to Disable on BADGER!

Exposure is now fully completed!

8. DEVELOPMENT

Once you have exposed, you need to develop.

Different resists and doses have different exposure times. optimizing it depends on these factors, there
is plenty of information online for the development process.