Advances, Application and Challenges of Lithography Techniques

Miniaturization of the transistor has resulted in novel patterning techniques to come into account. To alleviate the resolution limits of photolithography, various promising techniques have been developed with high resolution, throughput, overlay accuracy, low line edge roughness, and low defectivity. This paper reviews major nanolithography techniques including conventional photolithography, Extreme ultraviolet lithography, Nanoimprint lithography, and additional techniques. All these lithographic methods are key technologies to manufacture ICs, microchips, and MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) devices. This paper also presents various challenges, status, and applications of NGL (next-generation lithography). In the end, a comparative analysis of these techniques is also discussed.