Abstract
This thesis was investigated on ion-induced characteristics in a-$Se_{75}Ge_{25}$ positive and negative resists for focused-ion-beam microlithogaphy. The exposed a-$Se_{75}Ge_{25}$ inorganic thin film shows an increase in optical absorption after exposure to~$10_{16}$ dose of Ga+. The observed shift in the absorption edge toward longer wavelengths is consistent with that in films exposed to band-gap photons(~$10^{21}$photons/cm2). This result may be related with microstructural rearrangements with in the short range of SeGe network. Due to changes in the short range order, the chemical bonding may be affected, which results in increased chemical dissolution in ion-induced film. Also, this resist exhibits good thermal stability because of its high Tg(~$220^{\circ}C$). When focused ion beams are used for direct exposure of resist over a substrate, unwanted implantation of the substrate may be an issue. A possible way to avoid this is to match the thickness of the resist to the range of ions in the resist. Thin aspect is currently under investigation.
