Hyper-lithography

Abstract: The future success of integrated circuits (IC) technology relies on the continuing miniaturization of the feature size, allowing more components per chip and higher speed. Extreme anisotropy opens new opportunities for spatial pattern compression from the micro- to nano-scale. Such compression, enabling visible light-based lithographic patterning not restricted by the fundamental diffraction limit,if realized,may address the ever-increasing demand of IC industry for inexpensive, all-optical nanoscale lithography. By exploiting strongly anisotropic optical properties of engineered nanostructures, we realize the first experimental demonstration of hyperlens-based photolithography, facilitating optical patterning below the diffraction limit using a diffraction-limited mask. We demonstrate that the diffraction-limited features on a mask can be de-magnified to form the subwavelength patterns on the photoresist using visible light. This unique functionality,enabled by the hyperbolic dispersive properties of the medium combined with the cylindrical shape of the structure, opens a new approach to the future all-optical nanolithography.