SBIR Phase II: Molecular Transfer Lithography with Real-Time Alignment

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a comprehensive automated nanolithography and alignment system for integrated electronics and photonics manufacturing. Transfer Devices, Inc. is the pioneer, and has significant intellectual property, in transfer lithography. The product driver for this application is the MxL (molecular transfer lithography) template. It is a consumable, one-time-per-use item that forms patterns by bonding patterned resist layers onto a substrate surface, with subsequent water dissolution of the template. MxL is a non-imprint, non-photolithography process that solves the defect propagation problem of contract printing, and is applied for large area, conformal printing at low costs and high throughput. The proposal seeks to optimize the replication of MxL templates, and coordination with an advanced adaptive alignment system, to achieve unprecedented overlay and high resolution patterning for high throughput next generation lithography of integrated circuits and photonic devices. The reason for the success of the proposed solution is a technologically superior solution of that of alternative approaches by combining low-cost, environmentally friendly processing with defect free conformal printing over large areas at high throughput rates. MxL (molecular transfer lithography) is a patent protected unique process using a water dissolvable sacrificial polymer template. This advanced process is coordinated with an adaptive alignment scheme to produce state-of-the-art registration with sub-50 nm features at sub-20 nm placement capability. Commercially, the proposed process and technological solution will significantly advanced the capability to manufacture nano-technological devices for a wide range of applications including integrated circuits, solar wafers, displays, data storage, MEMS, as well as emerging areas in photonics, high brightness LED's, optoelectronics, life sciences, and nanotechnology. The project will be implemented commercially into the lithography marketplace, which by 2009 has a total market size of roughly $20B including equipment technology, masks, and consumables.