Impact Story #11
Light for the Tiniest Chips
Modern microprocessors contain billions of tiny transistors. Technologies co-developed at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source enabled their manufacture.
As microprocessors became increasingly powerful, their structures had to shrink continuously. Conventional UV lithography soon reached its physical limits. The next generation of chip production required extremely short-wavelength light provided by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
The BESSY II synchrotron radiation source des Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin played a decisive role in this development. Researchers and industry partners tested materials and photoresists for EUV lithography at the required wavelength of 13.5 nanometers. High-precision mirror optics for the exposure systems were also characterized and optimized at the PTB beamline of BESSY II.
Development partners included companies such as ASML, Zeiss SMT, and TRUMPF, which jointly developed EUV exposure systems for the semiconductor industry. In 2017, ASML delivered the first production systems, and shortly thereafter, manufacturers began producing seven-nanometer chips.
Today, nearly all leading semiconductor manufacturers use this technology. Without EUV lithography, modern high-performance processors for smartphones, computers, and data centers would be virtually impossible to manufacture.
Image: Poetra.RH/Shutterstock
