Method for manufacturing accurate structures with a high aspect ratio and particularly for manufacturing X-ray absorber masks

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing an X-ray absorber mask comprising the steps of providing a substrate of a material selected from a group consisting of glass, quartz and silicon; applying a first adhesion layer on the substrate; applying a first back-etching layer on the first adhesion layer; applying a second adhesion layer on the back-etching layer; applying an absorption layer on the second adhesion layer; applying an auxiliary layer on the absorber layer; applying a passivation layer on the auxiliary layer; applying a lacquer layer on the passivation layer, said lacquer layer being a material sensitive to radiation selected from a group consisting of X-rays, photons, ions and electrons; forming a mask in the lacquer layer to expose portions of the passivation layer, said step of forming a mask including exposing the lacquer layer to radiation of said group; etching exposed portions of the passivation layer and the underlying portions of the auxiliary layer and absorber layer with an ion beam etching with argon as an etching gas for a given duration of time, said duration of time being broken up in different segments and said etching step including changing the etching angle of the beam at the beginning of each segment; then removing the lacquer mask and the passivation layer; oxidizing the auxiliary layer to form an oxide mask; subsequently etching the absorber layer utilizing the oxide mask to produce the absorber mask with the desired structure, said etching being a reaction ion beam etching for a given duration of time with oxygen and argon being the etching gases, said duration of time being broken into segments with the direction of the etching beam being changed at the beginning of each segment; applying a polyimide layer on the etched surface to fill all of the cavities formed in the absorber mask, then etching the opposite side of the substrate to remove selected portions of the substrate, the first and second adhesion layers and the first back-etching layer to expose the desired structure in the absorber mask, said etching being an ion beam etching with argon as the etching gas.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing an X-ray absorber mask comprising the steps of providing a substrate of a material selected from a group consisting of glass, quartz and silicon; applying a first adhesion layer on the substrate; applying a first back-etching layer on the first adhesion layer; applying a second adhesion layer on the back-etching layer; applying an absorption layer on the second adhesion layer; applying an auxiliary layer on the absorber layer; applying a passivation layer on the auxiliary layer; applying a lacquer layer on the passivation layer, said lacquer layer being a material sensitive to radiation selected from a group consisting of X-rays, photons, ions and electrons; forming a mask in the lacquer layer to expose portions of the passivation layer, said step of forming a mask including exposing the lacquer layer to radiation of said group; etching exposed portions of the passivation layer and the underlying portions of the auxiliary layer and absorber layer with an ion beam etching with argon as an etching gas for a given duration of time, said duration of time being broken up in different segments and said etching step including changing the etching angle of the beam at the beginning of each segment; then removing the lacquer mask and the passivation layer; oxidizing the auxiliary layer to form an oxide mask; subsequently etching the absorber layer utilizing the oxide mask to produce the absorber mask with the desired structure, said etching being a reaction ion beam etching for a given duration of time with oxygen and argon being the etching gases, said duration of time being broken into segments with the direction of the etching beam being changed at the beginning of each segment; applying a polyimide layer on the etched surface to fill all of the cavities formed in the absorber mask, then etching the opposite side of the substrate to remove selected portions of the substrate, the first and second adhesion layers and the first back-etching layer to expose the desired structure in the absorber mask, said etching being an ion beam etching with argon as the etching gas.