Features shrink as Irresistable Materials grows
The University of Birminham spin off has secured £235k spending for EUV development
Latest technology results from Irresistible Materials (IM) have demonstrated a significant jump forwards in achievable resolution via its EUV photoresist. The team have recently demonstrated 13 nm halfpitch resolution patterning, together with promising results at 11 nm halfpitch.
Alongside this the company has introduced a new metal complex resist platform for EUV and Electron Beam Lithography resolution and sensitivity enhancement; has demonstrated pattern transfer of 11 nm features with an aspect ratio of 16:1 from its spin-on-carbon product line; and has shown first results combining the spin-on-carbon with a 10 nm resolution directed self-assembly (DSA) lithography process.
Irresistible Materials, a UK materials technology company spun-out from the University of Birmingham, is therefore pleased to announce £235,000 of further support from the Technology Strategy Board and business angels from the US and UK, coupled with the appointment of Mark Shepherd as Chief Executive Officer. In addition Irresistible Materials welcomes Tim Hazell of Mercia Fund Management to the board.
Shepherd is an experienced CEO and has served as a Director at plc Board level in both commercial and technical roles. He has expertise in commercialising technology through product development and licensing of intellectual property worldwide. He was Inventor/founder and Business development Director of Xaar plc and subsequently CEO of several technology businesses including 1Limited and start-ups from the University of Manchester and Queen Mary University of London.
IM was created in 2010 to further develop and commercialise the University of Birmingham's photo-resist technology for the next generation of microchips. Photoresists are critical materials in the computer chip manufacturing process as they enable chip manufacturers to fabricate ever-smaller features for microelectronic devices.
Beyond 2016 current photoresist technologies cannot be used as these features will be too small for existing polymeric photoresists, hence the need for a new generation of technology. IM's solution, based on a unique fullerene material developed at the University of Birmingham, has been successfully demonstrated to meet these requirements and the company has started engaging with the key industry suppliers to evaluate samples.
Mark Shepherd says, "It is an exciting time for Irresistible Materials. The team has made significant advances over recent months in order to prove the capabilities of the technology and enable us to engage further with the major players in the industry.I am looking forward to seeing the Company's developments turn into real products that enable the next generation of semiconductor devices."
Tim Hazell comments, "Irresistible Materials not only has a technology which could be the basis for the next generation of microchips but a highly experienced and capable management team; that's a pretty attractive background for an early stage technology investor like Mercia Fund Management."
