Researchers create 7nm wide lines
Scientists from Singapore A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), the University of Cambridge and Sungkyunkwan University have created metallic lines that can only be seen using powerful electron microscopes. The development is said to speed the miniaturisation of electronic devices.
The 7nm wide lines have a roughness – the variation in thickness along the line – of 2.9nm. This is much closer to the roughness of 2.8nm layed out by International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors as a target for 2011.
"Our thin, unbroken and smooth lines are important in ensuring the efficiency of ever shrinking electronic devices and may lead to more powerful processors, says Dr MSM Saifullah, a Research Scientist with IMRE. "Furthermore, our work shows that it is possible to make continuous metallic lines as small as 4nm."
The researchers started with an organometallic material and, using a combination of electron beam lithography and subsequent gas treatment, the researchers 'chipped away' the organic portions to leave thin metal lines.
