Proton beam writing

Proton beam writing (PBW) is a direct-write lithography process for microfabrication of two- or three-dimensional structures. It can be used to manufacture microfluidic channels, wave guides, biosensors and other devices. Due to the maskless writing technique and the high spatial resolution obtained by the usage of protons, this method allows for the fabrication of structures with high aspect ratio and small structure width. This makes PBW preferable to other lithographic techniques like electron beam- or photolithography. We will describe the newly installed PBW system at the Goettingen 3MV Pelletron accelerator and discuss its technical characteristics together with first proton beam written structures.