Microscope projection photolithography based on liquid crystal microdisplay

We developed a microdisplay-based microscope projection photolithography (MDMPP) technique in which a liquid crystal (LC) microdisplay is used as a reconfigurable photomask for a microscope projector. The LC microdisplay provides a significant advantage in terms of cost and speed since patterns can be generated through software instead of redesigning and fabricating glass photomasks. The constructed MDMPP system could produce line patterns as narrow as 2.4 µm, smaller than that specified by the diffraction limit, with the aid of a 4 objective lens. The achievement of a linewidth smaller than the theoretical limit may be ascribed to a combination of overexposure and the underetching effect, in addition to the good optical performance of the system. In a diffraction experiment performed with fabricated slits, the application of the MDMPP technique helped provide various patterns of the slits, demonstrating the potential usefulness of the MDMPP system in undergraduate optics courses. We expect that MDMPP can contribute to the field of physics education and various areas of research, such as chemistry and biology, in the future.