Chinese researchers have made a significant breakthrough in chip manufacturing, reducing defects by 99% using a cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) process.
This process pinpoints the source of manufacturing flaws, achieving unprecedented clarity and potentially leading to major industry cost cuts.
"The team has proposed a solution compatible with existing semiconductor production lines,"
"It can reduce lithography defects on 12-inch (30cm) wafers by 99 per cent,"
Lithography is a critical step in chip manufacturing, equivalent to "printing circuits" onto semiconductor wafers such as silicon.
Author's summary: China achieves near-perfect lithography with cryo-ET.