Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 5


Laser-magnet metrology The FELIX Laboratory and the High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) have recently conducted the first measurements that combine a free electron laser (FEL) with a powerful magnet. The combination enables researchers to explore the electronic properties of materials. It provides a way to perform terahertz (THz) magneto spectroscopy on samples. The FELIX Laboratory at R... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 29


Compact synchrotron EUV sources For some time, the industry has been exploring the development of next-generation power sources for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. ASML and Gigaphoton are separately developing EUV sources based on the more traditional and compact laser-produced-plasma (LPP) technology. Then, in R&D, others are exploring the development of futuristic EUV sources us... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 22


Weighing protons The Max Planck Institute and Riken have conducted the world’s most precise measurement of the mass of a proton. Based on an experiment, researchers determined that the mass of a proton is 1.007276466583(15)(29) atomic mass units. This is three times more precise than the previous measurements from others. The numbers in parentheses refer to the statistical and systematic ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 15


Self-collapse lithography The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a technology called self-collapse lithography. The technology, reported in the journal Nano Letters, resembles the combination of nanoimprint, selective removal and a chemical lift-off process. More specifically, though, the technology provides insights into patterning using a chemical lift-off lith... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 8


Ferroelectric films Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) is creating a buzz again. For years, FRAMs have been shipping for embedded applications, although the technology has taken a backseat to MRAM, phase-change and ReRAM. Using a ferroelectric capacitor to store data, FRAM is a nonvolatile memory with unlimited endurance. FRAM is faster than EEPROM and flash. FRAM performs an over-write function in ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 1


Magnetic chips HRL Laboratories—an R&D venture between Boeing and General Motors—has been awarded a contract to develop a new class of magnetic integrated components. HRL has received the award from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) under the Magnetic, Miniaturized, and Monolithically Integrated Components (M3IC) program. The goal is to develop new magnetic materials... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 25


Metrology for the intelligence community The semiconductor industry continues to move full speed ahead with traditional chip scaling. There are several challenges in the arena. One of the big but lessor known challenges is metrology. Metrology, the science of characterizing and measuring films and structures, is becoming more complex, challenging and expensive at each node. Looking to solv... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 18


Brain microscopes Rice University is developing a tiny and flat microscope for a special application--it will be able to decode and trigger neurons on the surface of the brain. The microscope technology, dubbed FlatScope, is part of a $65 million program announced by the U.S.-based Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The DARPA project, dubbed Neural Engineering System Design ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 11


China’s storage ring for EUV A group of researchers are banding together to propel the development of a storage ring technology that may one day be used as a power source for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. The collaboration includes five institutions. Researchers have organized an informal collaboration or study group with plans to develop a storage ring for EUV based on a techno... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 3


MacEtch and chips Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) has advanced a technology called metal-assisted chemical etching or MacEtch for use in the fabrication of silicon nanowires and related structures. Silicon nanowires are used in several applications, such as electronics, solar, storage, optical, catalysis, drug delivery and sensors. In semiconductors, the ... » read more

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