The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nThese coatings are made from amorphous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (aZIFs), a type of advanced material known for its flexibility and ability to absorb extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light\u2014an important feature for modern chip-making. Despite their promise, scientists have struggled to produce these films evenly and reliably, especially on the large surfaces used in semiconductor manufacturing.<\/p>\n
\u201cCreating uniform aZIF films has been a major challenge,\u201d says Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Institute for NanoBioTechnology PhD student Kayley E. Waltz. \u201cPrevious methods relied heavily on trial and error, which made it difficult to scale up for real-world applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
To solve this, the team developed a \u201cspin-on\u201d deposition method. In this process, a liquid solution is dropped onto a spinning surface, spreading out into a thin, even layer. By carefully controlling how the materials mix and flow, the researchers were able to fine-tune the film\u2019s thickness down to the nanometer\u2014thousands of times thinner than a human hair\u2014while maintaining uniformity across entire wafers.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s breakthrough came from combining this technique with detailed computer modeling of how fluids behave. These simulations revealed that controlling the flow of the liquid at a microscopic level is key to producing smooth, defect-free films.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal was to move from guesswork to prediction,\u201d says postdoctoral fellow Xinpei Zhou. \u201cBy understanding the physics behind the process, we can now design coatings that are both precise and scalable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using this method, the team\u2019s results were not only smooth and consistent, but highly versatile. The results demonstrated that the chemical composition of the films can be altered, allowing researchers to tailor their properties for different applications.<\/p>\n
When tested in lithography experiments, the films performed well, enabling the creation of very fine patterns. This suggests they could be useful in next-generation chip manufacturing, including technologies that go beyond current systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs demand grows for more powerful electronics, manufacturers must pack more components into smaller spaces,\u201d says postdoctoral fellow Yurun Miao. \u201cThis requires new materials and techniques that can reliably shape extremely fine features. The new method could help by offering a predictable, scalable way to create high-quality thin films\u2014something that has been missing for aZIF materials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this method, we now can bring real predictability to how these materials are made. That opens the door not only to next-generation chip manufacturing, but to a whole range of technologies that depend on precise, high-quality thin films,\u201d says Michael Tsapatsis<\/a>, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering. Beyond semiconductors, the technique could be used in other fields that rely on ultra-thin, defect-free coatings, such as filtration systems and gas separation technologies.<\/p>\nCollaborators for this research also include East China University of Science and Technology\u2019s Shunyi Zheng, Yegui Zhou, Heting Wang, and Liwei Zhuang; Stony Brook University\u2019s Mueed Ahmad and J. Anibal Boscoboinik; Soochow University\u2019s Qi Liu; \u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de Lausanne\u2019s Kumar Varoon Agrawal; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\u2019s Oleg Kostko.<\/p>\n
This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shanghai Pujiang Program, the US National Science Foundation, and the Bloomberg Distinguished Professorship Program at Johns Hopkins University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-52948","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-faculty","news_categories-postdoctoral","news_categories-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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