Lithography

News and Updates

NIST’s NanoFab Reopens its Doors to Universities, Industry, and Research Institutions

April 3, 2023

In the Lilliputian world of nanofabrication, where billions of microscopic circuit elements are sculpted or imprinted on a fingernail-sized silicon chip

A person in a white coverall and safety glasses poses standing next to a rack of computers and other devices in a lab.

A Nanofabulous Experience: Internship at NIST’s NanoFab Provides Vital Training for Engineers and Technicians Entering the Semiconductor Workforce

January 5, 2023

NanoFab internships are one of the many ways that NIST and the Department of Commerce are helping to ensure American

NIST Designs a Prototype Fuel Gauge for Orbit

November 12, 2020

Liquids aren’t as well behaved in space as they are on Earth. Inside a spacecraft, microgravity allows liquids to freely slosh and float about. This behavior

Projects and Programs

Metrology for Nanoimprint Lithography

Completed

Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) was originally perceived as a versatile, low-cost, and high-resolution patterning alternative for optical lithography in CMOS fabrication. However, it is becoming apparent that NIL has great potential for nanotechnology in general. It is capable of patterning sub-10 nm

Electron Microscopy of Carbon Nanotube Composites

Ongoing

Multi-wall CNTs (MWCNTs) are a common nano-carbon reinforcement material and are frequently dispersed into a polymer matrix to form composites that can be engineered with specific combinations of desirable properties – electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical, etc. However, this

Polymers for Next-Generation Lithography

Completed

We work closely with the semiconductor industry to develop and apply measurements with high-spatial and chemically-specific resolution to elucidate the critical materials properties and process kinetics at nanometer scales that are needed to advance next-generation photolithography, including both

Single Molecule Fluorescence Measurements of Nanoscale Proton Distributions in Photoresist

Completed

Modern photoresists use a process known as chemical amplification to improve their sensitivity. Each incoming photon generates an acid molecule which then diffuses in the photoresist and catalytically causes chemical changes in the resist that result in the formation of an image. The number of

Publications

X-ray computed tomography flaw phantom development: stepper photolithography and deep reactive ion etching: Fabrication and reference measurements

February 18, 2025

Author(s)

Felix Kim, Sarah Robinson, Nikolai Klimov, John Henry J. Scott

Stepper photolithography combined with deep reactive ion etching was used to generate controlled flaws to assess X-ray computed tomography (XCT) flaw

Defining Chi for Block Copolymer Lithography

January 11, 2023

Author(s)

Whitney Loo, Hongbo Feng, Thomas Ferron, Ricardo Ruiz, Daniel Sunday, Paul Nealey

Block copolymer lithography, such as directed self-assembly, requires the design of nanostructured block copolymers with precise values of segregation strength

Unmasking the Resolution–Throughput Tradespace of Focused-Ion-Beam Machining

August 21, 2022

Author(s)

Andrew Madison, John S. Villarrubia, Kuo-Tang Liao, Craig R. Copeland, Joshua Schumacher, Kerry Siebein, Robert Ilic, James Alexander Liddle, Samuel M. Stavis

PHIDL: Python-based layout and geometry creation for nanolithography

September 27, 2021

Author(s)

Adam McCaughan, Alexander N. Tait, Sonia Buckley, Jeff Chiles, Jeff Shainline, Sae Woo Nam, Dylan M. Oh

Computer-aided design (CAD) has become a critical element in the creation of nanopatterned structures and devices. In particular, with the increased adoption of

Tools and Instruments

NanoFab Tool: Suss MicroTec MA/BA6 Gen4 Mask Aligner

The SUSS MicroTec MA/BA6 contact aligner allows users to align patterns on the front or back of a substrate and to print feature sizes down to 1 µm. The tool

Photograph of the JEOL JBX 6300-FS Direct Write Electron Beam Lithography System.

NanoFab Tool: JEOL JBX 6300-FS Direct Write Electron Beam Lithography System

The JEOL JBX 6300-FS direct write electron beam lithography system allows users to quickly and directly pattern a variety of substrate materials with feature