At a fluorine laser's 157-nm wavelength, current optical materials such as fused silica transmit light so poorly that they can no longer pattern circuits onto silicon wafers. Calcium fluoride is the leading candidate for new lens materials, but today's crystal-growing technology relies on the Bridgman-Stockbarger method, which depends on good heat conduction within the growing crystal. As Ca[F.sub.2] is an insulator, however, this existing method proves time-consuming and costly, with yields limited to only 1-3%.
Work at Single Crystal Technologies, LLC (SCT; Gilbert, Ariz.; sct-llc.com), however, promises to free the semiconductor industry from a potential …
No comments:
Post a Comment