EBL: Summary

EBL consist in direct writing on electrosensitive materials, using a focused electron beam like in a scanning electron microscope.
A computer drives the electron beam according to your design, point per point.
Design edge roughness is defined by the distance between points, called : exposure step size.

As shown beside in the schematic of the system, if the design is bigger than the field used, the design is cut in multiple fields that will be stitched, using a 2 nanometers resolution interferometer.
Sample size can range from few millimeters to 150 millimeters, whereas, resolution can reach 10 nanometers in inorganic materials or 20 nanometers in organic materials.

Just beside an image exhibiting gold interdigitated electrodes of 20 nanometers linewidth and 100 nanometers pitch after EBL, 50nm gold deposition and lift-off process.