Physics / mechanism
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) presses a patterned hard mold (quartz or silicon) into a resist layer under heat or UV, transferring sub-10 nm features via mechanical deformation rather than optical projection. Two dominant variants: thermal NIL (heat resin above Tg, press, cool, strip) and UV-NIL (UV-curable resist, room temperature, ~1–10 bar pressure). Resolution is determined by mold feature fidelity, not wavelength—demonstrated sub-5 nm half-pitch in research. Throughput remains the constraint; Canon’s FPA-1200NZ2C targets HVM at ~100 wph. Key parameters: overlay accuracy (<1 nm demonstrated), residual layer thickness control, mold lifetime (>10k impressions typical).
Competitive landscape
| Technique | Resolution limit | Throughput | Cost driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUV (ASML NXE) | ~8 nm HP production | 150–200 wph | Tool capex ($150–200M+) |
| Nanoimprint (Canon) | <5 nm HP capable | ~100 wph | Mold fabrication + lifetime |
| Electron-beam direct write | <5 nm, maskless | <1 wph | Write time, no parallelism |