The Norwegian-Dutch startup Lace Lithography is betting that neutral helium atoms will take center stage in the next major leap in semiconductor patterning.
The photon will run out of steam. It has had an incredible run in semiconductor lithography, but elementary physics proves that chipmakers can’t keep lowering the wavelength of light to increase resolution. Since the wavelength of photons and their energy are inversely proportional, ever shorter wavelengths eventually produce photons energetic enough to create electron cascades in the resist, limiting rather than improving resolution.
If not photons, then what? Lace Lithography has what may seem a surprising answer: atoms. The Norwegian startup with a site in Eindhoven harnesses the particle-wave duality of helium atoms to produce patterns with resolutions far beyond what can reasonably be expected from optical lithography.
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