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No more Moore as EUVL research project draws to successful close

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More Moore, an integrated research project funded by the European Commission to promote the development of Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography (EUVL) in Europe, has solved some of the key challenges in the pioneering work of this future semiconductor manufacturing technology.
More Moore, an integrated research project funded by the European Commission to promote the development of Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography (EUVL) in Europe, has solved some of the key challenges in the pioneering work of this future semiconductor manufacturing technology. Technological breakthroughs achieved by the project's leading scientists address vital areas including light source, optical coatings, simulation software, photo electron emission microscopy and resist. This collaborative effort has helped to further enhance European position in the emerging field of EUVL, and make real breakthroughs for the semiconductor industry as it strives to manufacture integrated circuits with ever-smaller features. The More Moore project began in January 2004, backed by €23.25 million funding from the European Commission. It drew to a close, with a final review of its findings by the EC, in June this year . The project's results will be important for the development of future EUVL tools, components and infrastructure. The company leading and coordinating the project is Netherlands-based ASML. "Our aim was to resolve technical problems of EUVL, to prepare the industry for volume production. We have made vital technological breakthroughs, thanks to the teamwork of Europe's leading EUVL scientists. None of this would have been possible without funding from the European Commission, for which we are extremely grateful," said Rob Hartman, Director of ASML's Strategic Technology Programme, and leader of the More Moore project. EUVL will be the next generation technology used by the semiconductor industry to manufacture integrated circuits, with ever smaller features. Smaller features – starting at 32 nm instead of the 65 nm common today -- allow chipmakers to fit more transistors on each chip or make more complex chips. Currently, the semiconductor industry is reaching the limit of what is possible with lithography at 40 nm, making the transition to EUVL technology, and its ability to produce features at 32 nm and smaller, crucial to increasing the number of transistors per square mm. This is consistent with Moore's law. The law is named after Gordon Moore – a co-founder of Intel – who predicted in 1965 that the number of components that can be installed on an integrated circuit doubles every 24 months. The crux of Moore's prediction was not so much about fitting more components onto a chip, but about how this would steadily reduce the cost of electronics and computing over time. Georg Kelm, Head of Sector in the European Commission's Nanoelectronics Department and Project Officer of More Moore, added that innovations such as these demonstrate the value of European research projects both to science and technology, and also to maintaining a strong position for the European micro- electronics industry on the world stage: "The participants in the More Moore project have shown what can be accomplished by Europe's leading brains working together. It was a truly collaborative effort, involving large and small manufacturing companies, research institutes and universities throughout Europe. Together, they have pushed the boundaries of knowledge in this vital emerging technology, have helped establish new players and ensured that Europe has a leading role as its usage takes off around the world."
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