Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have been improving the resolution of a process known as photolithography. They hope to use their technique to help advance the miniaturization of computer chips.
Miniaturizing computer chips is one of the keys to the digital revolution. It allows computers to become ever smaller and, at the same time, more powerful. This in turn is a prerequisite for developments such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and the 5G standard for mobile communications. Now a research team led by Iason Giannopoulos, Yasin Ekinci and Dimitrios Kazazis from the Laboratory of X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI has devised a technique for creating even denser circuit patterns.
The current state-of-the-art microchips have conductive tracks separated by twelve nanometers, i.e. about 6000 times thinner than a human hair. The researchers, by contrast, have managed to produce tracks with a separation of just five nanometers. As a result, circuits can be designed much more compactly than before.
"Our work showcases the patterning potential of light. This is a significant step forward for both industry and research," explains Giannopoulos.
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