There are still some problems to work out, such as cutting defect rates, but directed self-assembly has the potential to reduce the total number of masks. The upcoming 7nm process node presents tough ...

As previous articles in this series have shown, directed self-assembly may be a promising alternative for manufacturers seeking to shrink feature sizes in the face of a stalled exposure tool roadmap.

Through microphase separation, block copolymers (BCPs) can self-assemble into highly uniform, chemically distinct, periodic domains with dimensions and periods at scales of 3–200 nm 1,2 that are ...