Overview

• Researchers report that imidazole-based metal‑organic resists can be deposited from solution across silicon wafers using a chemical liquid deposition process.
• The materials are engineered to interact strongly with beyond‑extreme‑ultraviolet radiation, with metals such as zinc absorbing photons and generating electrons that drive the required chemistry.
• The approach targets features smaller than today’s ~10‑nanometer standard by pairing metal absorbers with tunable organic components.
• The team describes the platform as precise and economical for production and says B‑EUV use in manufacturing is expected within roughly the next decade.
• Findings published in Nature Chemical Engineering detail a multi‑institution effort spanning Johns Hopkins, ECUST, EPFL, Soochow University, Brookhaven, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.