April 24, 2006 – AMO GmbH, an Aachen, Germany, research foundry for nanoelectronics, photonics and biotechnology, announced it has added a new nanostructuring equipment tool.

Under a joint development program between AMO and EV Group, an Austrian maker of nanotech tools, an automated step and repeat UV-based Nanoimprint Lithogaphy (UV-NIL) system called the EVG770 NILStepper was developed and manufactured, and then installed at AMO.

UV-NIL is a next-generation lithography technology technique and a potential contender to succeed optical lithography for the 32-nm node, according to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. AMO is working on UV-NIL for performing R&D and small scale production for applications in the area of photonic devices, nanoelectronics and life sciences.

The new stepper includes features such as imprint under reduced environmental pressure, which enables low input pressures, fast process times and enhanced pattern fidelity. The step-and-repeat NIL system offers lithography resolution down to 10 nm and targets sub-50-nm overlay alignment accuracy via a novel dual-stage alignment approach.