Sematech Advances Feasibility of 193 nm Immersion Lithography for 45 nm

Sematech researchers have successfully used 193 nm immersion technology (193i) at 1.3 numerical aperture (NA) with azimuthal polarization to pattern features narrower than 45 nm half-pitch in multiple orientations simultaneously. Azimuthal polarization allows for aggressive imaging of arbitrary circuit features beyond simple line-and-space test patterns.