LIGA

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LIGA (German acronym for X-ray lithography (X-ray Lithographie), Electroplating (Galvanoformung), and Molding (Abformung)) is a process in microtechnology that was developed in the early 1980s ^[1] by a team under the leadership of Erwin Willy Becker and Wolfgang Ehrfeld at the Institute for Nuclear Process Engineering (Institut für Kernverfahrenstechnik IKVT) ^[2] at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center ^[3]. LIGA was one of the first major techniques to allow on-demand manufacturing of high-aspect-ratio structures (in other words, very skinny and tall) compared to traditional photolithographic techniques, with lateral dimensions below one micrometre. This capability is important in the fabrication of MEMS devices. Because of the high-energy of X-rays needed, the source must be synchrotron light.

While photolithography has been used extensively in integrated circuit manufacture for almost 50 years, nanostructured stamp lithography techniques to pattern silicon and other device-relevant materials have recently been improved enough to offer a realistic alternative to purely radiation-based patterning and formation methods.

Whereas LIGA greatly assisted research in micromachining and MEMS, leading elements of nanotechnology will likely take advantage of the various new forms of nano-contact printing.

There are 3 different types of LIGA with their names depending on the radiation and preform used

X-Ray LIGA using X-Rays produced by a synchrotron
UV-LIGA using Ultraviolet light produced by a UV-lamp
Silicon-LIGA using DRIE etched silicon as preform

[edit] Notes and references

^ Becker EW et al, Production of Separation-Nozzle Systems for Uranium Enrichment by a Combination of X-Ray Lithography and Galvanoplastics, Naturwissenschaften 69, 520-523 (1982)
^ present name/successor institution: Institute for Microstructure Technology (Institut für Mikrostrukturetechnik) IMT
^ present name: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Research Center)