SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Researchers at the University of New Mexico on Thursday are expected to demonstrate the feasibility of a new and "breakthrough" technology called immersion lithography.
In a paper at the SPIE Microlithography conference here, researchers from the Albuquerque-based university are expected to show 108-nm patterned images that were developed via a laser source and immersion technologies.
The pioneering research could pave the way for immersion lithography as a full-fledged production technique for low-cost semiconductor manufacturing.
In immersion lithography, the space between the projection lens and the wafer is filled with a liquid. Immersion could extend 193-nm down to the 45-nm node and below, thereby pushing out 157-nm, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and other potential technologies (see Feb. 24 story ).
The Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico was unable to demonstrate the technology with an existing scanner; there are no lithography tools equipped with immersion capabilities in the marketplace today.
Instead, the university devised a two-beam laser source from Coherent, which was exposed to a resist--with de-ionized water as the medium, said Steven Brueck, a professor at the University of New Mexico.
The source enabled a 108-nm pattern with good sidewalls, he said. "That's a half-pitch of 54-nm," he told SBN.
In the lab, three liquids were examined: de-ionized water, cyclo-octane, and Krytox. These liquids showed compatibility with the 193-nm resists, according to the university. "At 213-nm, the index of refraction measured for de-ionized water was 1.4 and for Krytox was 1.29," according to the results from the university.
RSS
Digital
10 emerging technologies to watch:
EE Times has compiled a list of emerging technologies that we think will be worth watching out for in 2010. Biofeedback or thought-control of electronics are among the contenders.
10 CEOs out in 2009:
It's been a tough year for the global electronics industry and CEOs. We survey the dismissal of 10 industry CEOs during the first three quarters of 2009 and what's ahead for the rest of the year.
Executive pay:
The economy stinks. Rank-and-file engineers are feeling the pain. What about technology CEOs? We crunched the numbers buried in corporate financial statements to find out. Here's what we found.
10 companies in trouble (revisited):
What follows is an updated version of 10 companies in trouble. Some companies have been removed since the last version, others remain. Still others have been added to the mix.
Early predictions for 2010:
The electronics industry is recovering, but there is still some uncertainty in the market. Some see a boom year in 2010. Some see a double dip. So what's in store for the rest of this year and 2010?
Top 10 IC vendors with cash:
The world's biggest IC companies by revenue rank not only among the best in their respective industry segments but are also more likely to have huge piles of cash that can be used to fund acquisitions, R&D and product development.
Notable women in microelectronics:
There is no better time than a global economic recession to examine the keys to successful corporate governance. So, EE Times has compiled an international list that celebrates women who are business and technology leaders in semis.
EE Times updates Silicon 60:
Seventeen companies have been added to the lastest version of our Silicon 60 list of emerging startups. Forty-three companies survived as emerging companies that are still worth watching.
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
