SBIR Phase II: Novel Technologies to Enable High Volume, Extreme Ultraviolet Manufacturing of Integrated Circuits

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project are to accelerate the arrival of next generation computing technology creating faster, smaller more powerful mobile devices, renewing the expected technological pace of development set by Moore's law, and to enable global access to next generation electronics. The technology developed here will enable new extreme ultraviolet lithography in semiconductor manufacturing. The developments will promote learning, understanding and capability in commercialization and scalability of nanotechnology engineering. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to evaluate the feasibility of new extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technologies which enable high volume manufacture of Integrated Circuits at 14nm and smaller. Currently capital equipment manufacturers are facing significant challenges in meeting the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors requirements for high volume manufacturing of integrated circuit chips. This has caused severe ramifications to chipmakers on the success of next generation IC manufacturing and fabrication facility costs. Successful results from the work proposed would represent notable progress in high volume manufacturing using EUV capital equipment. The intellectual merit of this proposed work forms the basis of new state of the art industry architecture designed for volume manufacturing; a pursuit that would subsequently encourage new markets and applications using next generation technology overcoming cost challenges in high volume manufacturing processes.