Leaky Lab Produces Metallofullerenes

Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg reported in the Sept. 2 issue of Nature that their leaking equipment, sharp eyes and prodigious appetite for coffee have yielded an inexpensive technique that produces C₈₀ buckyballs caging three metal atoms. The new family of molecules, metallofullerenes, has potential applications in far-reaching fields, including semiconductors, fiber optics, medical imaging and quantum computing.

The 248-nm KrF excimer laser source was designed for photolithography of silicon wafers. Introduced at Semicon West in July, the G20K features an energy dose stability of less than ±0.4 percent and a spectral bandwidth of less than 0.6 pm for improved resolution with lens steppers of high numerical aperture. The company said the repetition rate of the laser makes it suitable for high-throughput patterning applications.

Komatsu expects to introduce a 2-kHz ArF laser for volume production later this year.