Molecular Imprints Leads Joint Venture To $36M NIST Award - News Item

Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), the leading manufacturer of step and flash imprint lithography (S-FIL™) equipment, announces today that a $36M joint venture proposal has been funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology – Advanced Technology Program (NIST ATP) for the development of nanoimprint lithography at key semiconductor roadmap nodes. The other joint venture partners include KLA-Tencor, Photronics, Motorola Labs, and the University of Texas at Austin.

The objective of this proposal is to establish the necessary technology infrastructure associated with the S-FIL process, including system, materials, and template (mask) development. The three-year project will focus on dense contact layers, which are critical in silicon integrated circuit fabrication. The $36M award includes $17.6M from NIST and $19.1M cost sharing from the joint venture participants.

“Molecular Imprints and its joint venture partners are extremely excited to receive this NIST ATP award,” says Dr. S.V. Sreenivasan, co-founder and CTO of MII. “This significant project will help demonstrate how S-FIL technology can address the demanding silicon CMOS lithography requirements.”

Posted 5^th May 2004