Nanolithography has opened this page for you. The development of modern electronics would not have been possible without nanotechnology and its associated processes – including nanolithography, which enables the creation of incredibly small patterns on items such as computer chips. Those tiny structures have enabled giant advances, most notably in the semiconductor industry, but also in many other fields.
Alongside the all-important role in the semiconductor industry, applications for nanolithography also go beyond microelectronics. They include optical uses – in display panels, photonic crystals and micro-lenses – and elements used for magnetic storage, such as memory elements and read/write heads. Functional surfaces such as those used in probe tips and nano-tweezers and the superconducting devices needed for quantum computing and high-frequency electronics also use nanolithography techniques, as do some energy storage and conversion devices, such as solar cells and batteries.
We are happy to connect you
Amsterdam Science Park is home to the cutting-edge Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL), a public-private partnership bringing together expertise from the AMOLF Research Institute, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije Universiteit (VU) with semi-conductor manufacturing giant ASML. ARCNL aims to nurture a new generation of entrepreneurial researchers and employs an international team of some 60 young scientists, who are trained to do high-level fundamental research while working closely with industry.
There is a wide range of areas within the field of nanolithography currently being explored at the park:
Advances in computing and electronics technology require advances in computer chips. Nanolithography is the process of printing nanoscale patterns on silicon wafers to make those chips. And the shorter the light waves used to make those patterns, the smaller the features can be made – meaning chips become smaller, faster and greener.
ARCNL’s Plasma Theory and Modeling group is working to better understand the process by which EUV light waves are generated in order to optimise the process. Group leader John Sheil explains: “You fire high-intensity laser pulses at tiny, liquid droplets of tin. And you convert the liquid into a really hot, dense ionised gas, so-called plasma, and you get a really unique radiation: extreme ultraviolet radiation. And industry uses that radiation to print patterns on silicon wafers.”
Working in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US, Sheil and his team made a startling discovery: “No-one really knew where the light was coming from. These machines are already printing chips; but it turns out that what people thought was the source only contributed about 10% of the radiation. We found out that 90% of the radiation comes from somewhere else. It seems mad that people have no idea where the light comes from. But that’s our job: to really dig into the nitty-gritty. And once you understand the nitty-gritty, you can start optimising.”
The work not only aims to create next-generation computer chips, but also to make them more sustainable. Generating EUV light for nanolithography is a highly energy intensive process, and Sheil is investigating how it can become more efficient to the benefit of both industry and the environment. “Everyone wants higher power, because higher power allows you to print more chips, and there’s a backlog with chip production. It’s about coupling the demand from society for more chips with a drive towards producing them in a more sustainable manner. We are researching alternative, more sustainable ways. And that’s where we can have an impact.”
Looking for partners to collaborate. Or looking for a certain expertise? Or would you like to locate your business in the Amsterdam Science Park? Drop us a line and we help you to find a perfect match.
Subscribe to our newsletter and we will keep you updated on all that our park has to offer. It will arrive to your inbox five times a year and you can unsubscribe easily at any time.
Subscribe