How Did Johns Hopkins Make Microchips Invisible to the Human Eye?

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have successfully overcome the long-standing challenge of creating microchips so tiny that their circuits are invisible to the human eye.

The advance hinges on new materials and manufacturing steps that bring the semiconductor industry closer to producing chips at the nanoscale.

The breakthrough, published in Nature Chemical Engineering, solves several limitations with previous photolithography techniques, enabling mass manufacturing of features smaller than 10 nanometers in an economical way.

What Problem Held Chip Miniaturization Back?

Traditional chipmaking relies on radiation-sensitive coatings called resists that allow circuit patterns to be carved onto silicon wafers. But as circuits shrank below 10 nanometers, conventional resists failed to interact well with the high-energy beams required for fine detail, halting further miniaturization.

Manufacturers faced a dilemma: find a resist compatible with the intense short-wavelength beams or risk compromising production speed, cost, and accuracy. The demand for smaller, more powerful chips was growing, but fabrication bottlenecks persisted for years.

Did you know?
There are at least ten usable metals for B-EUV microchip resist chemistry, and hundreds of organic compounds that may tune reactions for even greater efficiency.

How Did Researchers Create Smaller Circuit Features?

The Johns Hopkins team, led by Professor Michael Tsapatsis, invented a family of metal-organic resists based on combining metals such as zinc with organic molecules like imidazole.

These materials absorb beyond extreme ultraviolet (B-EUV) light and generate electrons that trigger chemical transformations, imprinting circuits at scales well below 10 nanometers.

By fine-tuning the type of metal and organic compound, researchers achieved efficient absorption and reaction kinetics tailored to advanced photolithography methods, overcoming previous feature size limits.

What Is Chemical Liquid Deposition, and Why Is It Important?

Chemical liquid deposition (CLD), a new method from Johns Hopkins, lets metal-organic resists be applied in large amounts from a liquid solution to silicon, with thicknesses managed down to the nanometer level.

This approach provides researchers the ability to rapidly test and optimize new resists, paving the way for diverse circuit designs suitable for low-cost mass production.

CLD unlocks new freedom and precision in chip manufacturing, making smaller features not only possible but also reproducible industry-wide for future semiconductor generations.

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How Will the Breakthrough Change Industry Standards?

The ability to use multiple metals and organics tailored to different radiation wavelengths means manufacturers can flexibly adapt to next-generation chip designs and fabrication lines.

B-EUV-powered manufacturing, expected to go mainstream in the next decade, is projected to slash costs, reduce energy use, and dramatically raise chip density.

Industry leaders predict AI hardware, smartphones, quantum computers, and cars will benefit as manufacturers adopt invisible circuit technology for speed, miniaturization, and affordability.

What’s Next for Invisible Microchip Technology?

International collaborators, including labs in China and Switzerland, are exploring further metal-organic compositions and combinations for improved performance. Commercial adoption is anticipated within ten years as research and testing continue.

Invisible microchips could fundamentally shift what’s possible in computing, communications, and connected devices, advancing the frontier of electronics for years to come.