Multicolor superresolved lithography

In the quest to extend Moore's Law, the semiconductor industry has planned to pattern photoresists using soft X-rays (which is known as extreme ultraviolet lithography). However, this strategy faces many challenges. Another approach takes its inspiration from recent advances in superresolved optical microscopy, using two or more colors of visible, near-infrared, or near-ultraviolet light to achieve superresolution through nonlinear interactions. Two-color exposure schemes involving visible light have already been used to attain resolution well beyond that predicted by the Abbe criterion. The introduction of an additional color holds the promise for reaching the resolution targets set by the semiconductor industry. I will discuss the first generation of 3-color lithographic materials, and the new tools that we have developed to study their physics and physical chemistry.