UT Researchers Use 3D Printing to Develop “Tabletop EUV Lithography” Process

• Photolithography, the semiconductor manufacturing process whereby lasers transfer patterns onto chemical layers coating a substrate, is one of the most amazing industrial processes humanity has ever created. It is also...

Photolithography, the semiconductor manufacturing process whereby lasers transfer patterns onto chemical layers coating a substrate, is one of the most amazing industrial processes humanity has ever created. It is also by far one of the most expensive, with the most sophisticated machines (High-NA EUV) only produced by a single company (ASML) and carrying a price tag of around $400 million. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) are attempting to upend the barriers-to-entry standing in the way of broad access to EUV lithography by developing a low-cost, “tabletop” machine that leverages volumetric 3D printing. This process typically involves spinning vats of photopolymers exposed to light from every angle, allowing users to print entire objects all at once. The method the U