Nano-imprint lithography: Templates, imprinting and wafer pattern transfer

Nano-imprint lithography is attracting attention as a low cost method for printing nanometer-scale geometries and has obtained placement on the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors as a potential lithography solution at the 32 and 22 nm fabrication nodes (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, 2003 ed.]. As a result, nano-imprint technology and infrastructure development related to template infrastructure, imprinting capabilities, and wafer-level pattern transfer processes are essential to successfully make the transition from research and development to a viable manufacturing processing technique suitable for multiple applications. Motorola Labs has been focusing on developing the template and wafer-level processes while optimizing the imprinting process and collaborating with external partners to optimize both the inspection and repair of imprint templates. This paper reviews recent results of the above-mentioned focus areas. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.