Storex Technologies Inc. has developed an optical lithography technique with a resolution of 1 nm half-pitch lines, clearing a major hurdle in this field.

Many attempts have been made to break the diffraction limit, which Storex researchers said has long been a problem in optical lithography. In its study, the company demonstrated that quantum optical lithography can attain 1-nm resolution by optical means using new materials, including fluorescent photosensitive glass ceramics and QMC-5, a proprietary photoresist material.

As part of the study, nanostructures were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a dependence between laser power and line width was established. Written patterns on the QMC-5 were then transferred onto a silicon wafer using an etching process.

The performance is several times better than that described for any other optical or electron beam lithography methods, said Storex CEO Eugen Pavel.

Previous attempts in similar studies had only demonstrated direct beam writing of 2-nm-width lines.

The work was published in Optics & Laser Technology. (doi: 10.1016/j.optlastec.2014.01.016)

For more information, visit: www.storextechnologies.com