Extreme printing

A new way of printing circuit boards using advanced lithography could produce semiconductors with double the amount of processing speed.

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) would create circuit patterns on nano-scale chips using a beam of light with a wavelength 14 times shorter than conventional techniques. Current lithography uses a light beam with a 193nm wavelength, but EUVL would use a 13.5nm wavelength beam.

The aim is to produce semiconductor components that are more than half to possibly even a quarter of the size of current 65nm-sized circuitry. 'You'll be able to put in more transistors so you get faster speed,' said Samir Ellwi, vice-president of strategic technology at

, a Crawley-based laser manufacturer that has been working with EUVL research groups around the world for the past 10 years.

The technique presents some unique technical requirements for semiconductor manufacturers. While current lithography processes take place in the open, EUVL needs to be carried out in a vacuum because all matter absorbs extreme UV radiation. Also, there are no materials that can be used to make refractive lenses that operate at the 13.5nm wavelength, so the light must be focused using only specially-shaped reflective mirrors.