Challenges in the micromachining by proton beam writing and its applications

Proton beam writing (PBW) is a direct writing technique for the fabrication of micro- and submicron-scale structures with high-aspect ratio. The straight trajectory of MeV protons incident to target materials allows high-aspect-ratio micromachining with high throughput, when compared with a conventional direct writing process using low-energy electron beam. The principles and superior features of the PBW technique are illustrated by demonstrating the micromachining by PBW on various resists. Application of the high-aspect-pillar structures by PBW is also demonstrated for electro-micro filters using dielectrophoresis.