  We adapted a conventional microscope for projection photolithography using an
ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED) as a light source. The use of a UV
LED provides the microscope projector with several advantages in terms of
compactness and cost. The adapted microscope was capable of producing line
patterns as wide as 5 um with the use of a 4X objective lens under optimal
lithography conditions. The obtained line width is close to that of the
diffraction limit, implying that the line width can be reduced further with the
use of a higher resolution photomask and higher magnification objective lens.
We expect that low-cost microscope projection photolithography based on a UV
LED contribute to the field of physics education or various areas of research,
such as chemistry and biology, in the future.
