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Micromachines
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Nanoscale Lithography—Pressing Miniaturization Towards Ever Smaller Sizes, 2nd Edition
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Nanoscale Lithography—Pressing Miniaturization Towards Ever Smaller Sizes, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "E：Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2250

Editor

Prof. Dr. Jayne C. Garno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemistry Department, Louisiana State University, 232 Choppin Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: SPM; AFM; photocurrents; magnetic nanomaterials; surface science; self-assembled monolayers; nanolithography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovative research has expanded the limits of nanofabrication to ever-smaller size scales, approaching the molecular level. Nanolithography encompasses the tools required to prepare surface structures with well-defined geometries and composition. Nanoscale lithography can be employed to control the arrangement of nanomaterials, biomolecules and organic films and offers unprecedented control for potential device applications, such as sensors, memory storage and molecular electronics. This Special Issue will showcase contributions that present advancements in nanolithography, such as approaches using scanning-probe-based lithography, photolithography, colloidal lithography or ion etching. Correspondingly, nanolithography can disclose detailed information at the smallest of size scales to facilitate studies of the chemistry and associated properties of materials. In addition, the size and composition of nanofabricated patterns can be used to tailor the optical, magnetic and electronic properties of materials for material design. We welcome the submission of short communications, research articles and reviews that describe protocols and studies performed using nanoscale lithography.

Prof. Dr. Jayne C. Garno
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanolithography
  • nanopatterning
  • Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)
  • nanoscience
  • nanomaterials, organic films and polymers
  • nanofabrication

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 5308 KB  
Article
An Integrated Physics-Based and Data-Driven Framework for Defect Prediction in Advanced Nanoimprint Lithography Toward Inorganic Semiconductor Patterning
by Jean Chien and Eric Lee
Micromachines 2026, 17(6), 674; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi17060674 - 29 May 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 532
Abstract
Advanced nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is promising for inorganic semiconductor patterning because it enables high-resolution replication with a relatively simple process flow; however, yield loss increasingly originates from spatially distributed, subcritical distortions accumulated across coating, exposure, etching, and imprinting. In this study, we propose [...] Read more.
Advanced nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is promising for inorganic semiconductor patterning because it enables high-resolution replication with a relatively simple process flow; however, yield loss increasingly originates from spatially distributed, subcritical distortions accumulated across coating, exposure, etching, and imprinting. In this study, we propose an integrated physics-based and data-driven framework for pre-manufacturing defect-risk prediction in NIL. The framework combines an NDA-safe layout database, a physics-based process twin, and a stochastic risk prediction model using a physics-augmented convolutional neural network with conformal uncertainty calibration. Starting from binary design layouts, the process twin sequentially captures resist thickness variations during spin coating, proximity-induced dose redistribution and development-induced pattern deformation during electron-beam lithography (EBL), density-sensitive pattern transfer during reactive ion etching (RIE), and three-dimensional resist filling during imprinting, thereby generating physically consistent parameter maps for downstream learning. The results demonstrate an end-to-end virtual inspection flow that converts layouts into spatially resolved risk maps before fabrication. In addition, patterns with similar contour extent but different local density exhibit distinctly different risk distributions, indicating that manufacturability is governed not only by nominal geometry but also by local pattern environment. These findings support pre-manufacturing virtual inspection as a physically interpretable route for early yield-risk screening in advanced NIL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Lithography—Pressing Miniaturization Towards Ever Smaller Sizes, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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50 pages, 11073 KB  
Review
Mechanisms of Film-Formation-Related Defects in EUV Photoresists for Sub-3 nm Nodes and Synergistic Materials–Process–Intelligence Co-Optimization
by Junlin Wu, Yanqing Luo, Junzhe Hu, Shirong Li, Sen Cai, Tiedong Cheng, Ping Zhang, Pei Li, Shengkun Jiang, Ziqiang Liu, Guitai Wu, Sergey Mikhailovich Kopytov and Jin Yang
Micromachines 2026, 17(7), 864; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi17070864 - 21 Jul 2026
Viewed by 1322
Abstract
With the advancement of High-NA EUV lithography and the continued evolution of transistor architectures toward GAA and CFET, semiconductor manufacturing has entered the sub-3 nm technology node era. At advanced nodes, photon shot noise becomes increasingly significant, while the process tolerance window narrows [...] Read more.
With the advancement of High-NA EUV lithography and the continued evolution of transistor architectures toward GAA and CFET, semiconductor manufacturing has entered the sub-3 nm technology node era. At advanced nodes, photon shot noise becomes increasingly significant, while the process tolerance window narrows substantially. Photoresist film-formation-related defects may originate from multiple stages of the fabrication process, including coating, exposure, post-exposure bake, development, and etching/stripping, and are strongly influenced by microscopic stochastic effects. However, the isolated optimization of materials, processes, or intelligent control strategies still suffers from significant limitations. Therefore, this review systematically examines the formation mechanisms and cross-process evolution of photoresist film-formation-related defects within the development trajectory of advanced lithography. An integrated materials–process–intelligence co-optimization framework is proposed to elucidate the coupling mechanisms among these three dimensions and the construction of a full-chain closed-loop control strategy. The current challenges and future development directions are summarized, providing optimization insights for both academic research and industrial implementation. This review aims to establish a defect-control framework integrating fundamental understanding with engineering considerations, thereby supporting low defectivity, high robustness, and improved manufacturability for sub-3 nm node patterning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Lithography—Pressing Miniaturization Towards Ever Smaller Sizes, 2nd Edition)
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