DEEP-ETCH X-RAY-LITHOGRAPHY USING SILICON-GOLD MASKS FABRICATED BY DEEP-ETCH UV LITHOGRAPHY AND ELECTROFORMING

This paper is devoted to the description of a low cost microfabricatio n process far the realization of deep etch x-ray lithography (DEXRL) m asks. These masks are composed of a 15 mu m thick silicon membrane sup porting gold absorbers which are typically 12 to 16 mu m thick. The re solution of such masks is limited to 2-4 mu m, but they allow irradiat ion up to 2 mm of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) by using hard x-ray sy nchrotron radiation. Theoretical results about dosimetric parameters f or the PMMA irradiation are presented. Results obtained with these mas ks are also given. The purpose of this study is the realization of low cost micromechanical components using the LIGA technique.