As the nanoelectronics industry pushes towards feature sizes of 22 nm and smaller, conventional single exposure refractive lithography systems used to print circuit patterns onto computer chips will no longer be feasible. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, utilizing reflective optics and 13-nm-wavelength light to print chips, is the leading candidate to meet the industry’s future needs.
Nanoelectronics technology will allow the semiconductor industry to continue on its historic path of ever-increasing density and improving functionality: Increased memory capacities, improved computing speeds, reduced costs, and new functionality in devices. In accordance with Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on a computer’s central processing unit doubles every two years. To put this continued progress into perspective, the 4 GBytes of memory in a $70 IPod shuffle would have cost $4B in 1970.
Using an experimental photoresist provided by Inpria Corporation, 16-nm lines and spaces were printed on the MET: The SEMATECH Berkley Microfield Exposure Tool -- using pseudo phase shift mask mode.
Link: Paving the Way to Nanoelectronics 16 nm and Smaller
nm = nanometer = 1.0 × 10-9 meters
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