SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Motorola Inc. here today disclosed new details about its internal nano-imprint lithography program, claiming it has demonstrated the ability to print feature sizes down to 30-nm with a tool from a U.S. startup.
Douglas Resnick, section manager at Motorola Labs in Tempe, Ariz., said the chip maker is using a tool from startup Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII) to demonstrate the feasibility of nano-imprint lithography in future device production. Last year, MII of Austin, Tex. rolled out a nano-imprint tool geared for sub-100-nm designs.
Motorola itself is actively pursuing two next-generation lithography (NGL) programs--extreme ultraviolet and nano-imprint.
In its nano-imprint program, Motorola has printed 100- to 30-nm images with the tool from MII, according to Resnick. The Motorola representative also showed a cross section of a template, which demonstrated a 30-nm imprinted feature. "We are also making holes and pillars very nicely," Resnick said during a presentation at SPIE.
The Motorola representative also answered another pressing issue: Is nano-imprint lithography a viable technology for next-generation device production?
"Is nano-imprint just a lab curiosity? I don't think so," he said. "It's viable. But is it a real next-generation lithography candidate? Of course not."
Some believe nano-imprint lithography is geared for niche-oriented applications, such as MEMS and related devices. There are several problems with nano-imprint lithography, namely defects and overlay, analysts said.
"I don't think the problem is overlay," he declared. "The real problem is the infrastructure," he said, referring to the ability to make photomasks and resists for the technology.
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