Comment 2FN Self-assembly polymers

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The Post-Silicon future

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Self-assembly polymers (Score: 2, Interesting)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-07-12 21:13 (#2FN)

Interestingly, just spotted this rejoinder from the MIT Technology Review [bit of a paywall here although I read without paying]. I highly recommend reading this article though. Here's a clip.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/528921/self-assembly-shows-promise-for-extending-moores-law/
A radical alternative to conventional lithography now looks increasingly viable. Known as directed self-assembly, it involves using solutions of compounds known as block copolymers that assemble themselves into regular structures. Block copolymers are made up of different units (the blocks) that prefer to be separate, like oil and water; left alone, these compounds typically produce swirling, fingerprint-like patterns. But if guided by a "pre-pattern" of chemical guides made with conventional lithography, the block copolymers produce lines and other regular patterns. Crucially, those final patterns can have much smaller details than those of the pre-pattern. A final pattern made in this way can then be used as a template for the chemical processes that etch features into a silicon wafer-the same process that is the end point of conventional lithography.

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Time Reason Points Voter
2014-07-14 14:52 Interesting +1 ticho@pipedot.org

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