February 9, 2006 – Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology have developed a new lithography method that they claim achieves results comparable with extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, and five years before requirements by the International Roadmap for Semiconductors.
The method, evanescent wave lithography (EWL), is capable of optically imaging geometries of 26nm, smaller than 1/20th the wavelength of visible light. “Immersion lithography has pushed the limits of optical imaging,” stated Bruce Smith, professor of microelectronic engineering and director of the Center for Nanolithography Research in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. “Evanescent wave lithography continues to extend this reach well into the future.”
More details will be presented at the Microlithography 2006 symposium, sponsored by the International Society for Optical Engineering, on Feb. 22 in San Jose, CA.