MOLECULAR IMPRINTS, INC.
Molecular Imprints (MII) develops high-resolution, low cost-of-ownership nanoimprint lithography systems and solutions in the hard disk drive and semiconductor industries.
Status
Privately Held
The Market
Electronics – Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
The Problem
Semiconductor manufacturers seek to reduce the size of features of devices to increase speed and computing capability and decrease power usage and costs. The state-of-the-art resolution in the industry, 28-nanometer manufacturing, is on the threshold of the limits of traditional patterning methods, referred to as photolithography. Alternative techniques for manufacturing are therefore required to continue to scale down the feature sizes of semiconductor devices.
MII’s Solution
MII develops a patterning technique called “Step and Flash Imprint Lithography" technology (S-FIL™), a simple step and repeat, room temperature, low pressure, nano-imprint process that has been used to fabricate features as small as 10 nm. It is extremely difficult and potentially impossible for optical lithography techniques to fabricate features with similar resolution to that enabled by Molecular Imprints’ technology. The company provides enabling lithography systems and technology for manufacturing applications in the areas of micro and nanoscale devices, advanced packaging, biotech-related devices, optical components and semiconductor devices.
Nanotechnology Factor
MII’s Step-and-Flash Imprint Lithography tools enable the fabrication of nanoscale features in parallel and over large areas rapidly. These tools, therefore, enable nanotechnology to continue to impact electronic devices as the features in these devices continue to shrink in size.