"Soft X-Ray lithography, an alternative to Hyper-NA EUV, advances due to 'B-EUV' technology that introduces new resist chemistry, enabling the creation of smaller chips."
Breakthrough in EUV Lithography: Johns Hopkins Researchers Develop Groundbreaking Technique
In a significant leap forward for the semiconductor industry, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins University has developed a novel technique called Chemical Liquid Deposition (CLD). This process addresses one of the most critical bottlenecks in B-EUV technology – finding resist materials that can work with 6nm wavelength light.
The CLD process allows for the growth of amorphous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (aZIF) at a rate of 1nm per second. This rapid growth rate enables fast testing of different metal-imidazole combinations, opening up a vast array of possibilities for custom resists tailored to specific lithography platforms.
One of the key findings of the research is the effectiveness of metals like zinc with shorter wavelengths. While zinc performs poorly with traditional 13.5nm EUV light, it becomes highly effective at shorter wavelengths. The researchers discovered that metals like zinc can absorb B-EUV light and emit electrons, triggering chemical reactions in imidazole-based organic compounds. These chemical reactions allow for the etching of very fine patterns onto semiconductor wafers.
However, the technology still faces challenges, including source power and masks, and doesn't have a clear path to the mass market. The researchers have created a toolbox of at least 10 metal elements and hundreds of organic ligands to help overcome these challenges and bring the CLD process closer to practical applications.
The CLD process isn't limited to semiconductor applications. It can be used in various fields, making it a versatile and promising technology. The researchers behind the CLD process development are known as pioneers in continuous liquid drying technology, and their work is expected to have a significant impact on the semiconductor industry and beyond.
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