Optical lithography stalls X-rays

Article Abstract:

Optical lithography will continue to be used in making advanced DRAM integrated circuits; X-ray lithography will not be needed until the year 2000. Optical lithography using 200-400-nanometer (nm) ultraviolet (UV) wavelength dominates in integrated circuit manufacturing, while deep-UV lithography is not accepted because of a lack of positive- and negative-tone photoresist systems. Feature resolution and depth of focus improve 25 to 100 percent by optical phase-shifting masks that use interference to cancel diffraction effects. Multilevel resist processing and top-surface imaging techniques also improve resolution and focus, but are complex and expensive processes. I-line lithography, which is in the 365-nm UV spectrum wavelength, will be strong at least until 1995, and deep-UV steppers will surge and peak in 1998 for 256M-bit DRAMS, crossing from i-line to X-ray lithography.

Integrated circuit fabrication, Coatings, Printed circuit boards, DRAM (Dynamic random access memory), DRAM, Trends, Photolithography, Circuit Printing, Photomask, Wafer Steppers

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How to prevent circuit zapping

Article Abstract:

Electrical overstress is the enemy of modern electronics. It can strike a consumer product in the home, an avionics package on an F-16, or an IC on the assembly line. When an IC is subjected to transient overstress, the failure mechanism is usually electrothermal. Electrostatic discharge accounts for a majority of overstress transients, most of them occurring in factories that make electronic devices and usually generated by assembly-line workers who have acquired a static charge. Discharge can be minimized by having workers wear grounded wrist straps. Overstress is limited by combining electromagnetic shielding, filtering, and protective devices such as Zener diodes.

Integrated circuits, Circuit design, Microelectronics, Electric potential, Stress, Failure, Voltage, technical

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