The alternative technologies to lithography are: nanoimprint lithography (NIL), electron beam lithography (EBL), and self-assembly lithography.
1, nanoimprint lithography (NIL): first in the mold engraved on the pattern of the nanocircuit, and then this figure is pressed on the photographic material of the silicon wafer, while irradiated with ultraviolet light, you can complete the transfer of printing, this way you can achieve an accuracy of at least 2nm.
2, electron beam lithography (EBL): a high-energy electron beam to replace the extreme ultraviolet, the electron corresponds to a wavelength of only 0.04 nanometers, the processing accuracy than the EUV and a lot higher.
3, self-assembly lithography: with some chemicals, induced lithography material on a silicon wafer spontaneously composed of the structure we need, the middle does not need to be involved in lithography. This way than the traditional lithography higher resolution, processing speed is not affected, but it is particularly high requirements for material control, there is no mature solution, is still in the laboratory stage.
The role of photolithography
Photolithography is a key piece of equipment used in semiconductor fabrication and microelectronics manufacturing, where the main function is to project an optical pattern (e.g., a circuit pattern) onto a photoresist or thin film in order to form microscopic structures and patterns. A photolithography machine is an important device used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, microelectromechanical systems, and other micro- and nano devices, which transfers the patterns on a photomask to a silicon wafer or other substrate to form the desired circuits or structures.
The photolithography machine is mainly composed of a light source, a convex lens, a photoresist and a control system, etc., where the light source emits ultraviolet or visible light, the convex lens focuses the light onto the photoresist, and the control system controls parameters such as the exposure time of the photoresist and the intensity of the light. Photoresist is a special polymer material typically used in the photolithography process in microelectronics manufacturing that is coated on the surface of a silicon wafer and then irradiated with light to form a pattern.