Canon Announces New Advanced Chipmaking Process

Canon unveiled a new line of advanced chipmaking equipment featuring nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technology. The company claims that the new process is simpler than extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) and can significantly reduce power consumption and costs.

The company explained the technology in a statement saying it executes circuit pattern transfer and enables patterns with a minimum linewidth of 14nm, equivalent to the 5nm-node required to produce the most advanced semiconductors available. Canon noted that, with further improvement, NIL is expected to enable circuit patterning with a minimum linewidth of 10nm, which corresponds to next-generation 2nm-node production.

With nanoimprint lithography, Canon noted fine circuit patterns can be accurately reproduced on a wafer, allowing complex 2D or 3D circuit patterns to be formed in a single imprint, which may reduce the cost of ownership. Since the product does not require a light source with a special wavelength for fine circuits, it can reduce power consumption significantly compared with photolithography equipment, Canon stated.