<s>
Nanolithography	B-Algorithm
(	O
NL	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
growing	O
field	O
of	O
techniques	O
within	O
nanotechnology	O
dealing	O
with	O
the	O
engineering	O
(	O
patterning	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
NL	O
methods	O
can	O
be	O
categorized	O
into	O
four	O
groups	O
:	O
photo	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
,	O
scanning	O
lithography	O
,	O
soft	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
and	O
other	O
miscellaneous	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photolithography	B-Algorithm
was	O
applied	O
to	O
these	O
structures	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
1958	O
beginning	O
the	O
age	O
of	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
then	O
,	O
photolithography	B-Algorithm
has	O
become	O
the	O
most	O
commercially	O
successful	O
technique	O
,	O
capable	O
of	O
producing	O
sub-100nm	O
patterns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
Greek	O
,	O
the	O
word	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
can	O
be	O
broken	O
up	O
into	O
three	O
parts	O
:	O
"	O
nano	O
"	O
meaning	O
dwarf	O
,	O
"	O
lith	O
"	O
meaning	O
stone	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
graphy	O
"	O
meaning	O
to	O
write	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
tiny	O
writing	O
onto	O
stone.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2021	O
photolithography	B-Algorithm
is	O
the	O
most	O
heavily	O
used	O
technique	O
in	O
mass	O
production	O
of	O
microelectronics	O
and	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
devices	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Optical	B-Algorithm
Lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
or	O
photolithography	B-Algorithm
)	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
and	O
prevalent	O
sets	O
of	O
techniques	O
in	O
the	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Optical	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
contains	O
several	O
important	O
derivative	O
techniques	O
,	O
all	O
that	O
use	O
very	O
short	O
light	O
wavelengths	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
solubility	O
of	O
certain	O
molecules	O
,	O
causing	O
them	O
to	O
wash	O
away	O
in	O
solution	O
,	O
leaving	O
behind	O
a	O
desired	O
structure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
optical	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
techniques	O
require	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
liquid	B-Algorithm
immersion	I-Algorithm
and	O
a	O
host	O
of	O
resolution	B-Algorithm
enhancement	I-Algorithm
technologies	I-Algorithm
like	O
phase-shift	B-Algorithm
masks	I-Algorithm
(	O
PSM	O
)	O
and	O
optical	B-Algorithm
proximity	I-Algorithm
correction	I-Algorithm
(	O
OPC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
included	O
techniques	O
in	O
this	O
set	O
include	O
multiphoton	O
lithography	O
,	O
X-Ray	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
,	O
light	O
coupling	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
(	O
LCM	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
extreme	B-Algorithm
ultraviolet	I-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
EUVL	B-Algorithm
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
last	O
technique	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
next	B-Algorithm
generation	I-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
NGL	O
)	O
technique	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
produce	O
structures	O
accurately	O
down	O
below	O
30	O
nanometers	O
at	O
high	O
throughput	O
rates	O
which	O
makes	O
it	O
a	O
viable	O
option	O
for	O
commercial	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quantum	O
optical	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
QOL	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
diffraction-unlimited	O
method	O
able	O
to	O
write	O
at	O
1	O
nm	O
resolution	O
by	O
optical	O
means	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
red	O
laser	O
diode	O
( λ	O
=	O
650nm	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
form	O
of	O
direct-write	O
,	O
maskless	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
has	O
high	O
resolution	O
and	O
low	O
throughput	O
,	O
limiting	O
single-column	O
e-beams	O
to	O
photomask	B-Algorithm
fabrication	B-Architecture
,	O
low-volume	O
production	O
of	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
devices	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
research	O
and	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
important	O
techniques	O
in	O
this	O
category	O
include	O
dip-pen	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
,	O
thermochemical	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
,	O
thermal	B-Algorithm
scanning	I-Algorithm
probe	I-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
local	B-Algorithm
oxidation	I-Algorithm
nanolithography	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dip-pen	O
nanolithography	B-Algorithm
is	O
the	O
most	O
widely	O
used	O
of	O
these	O
techniques	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ion	B-Algorithm
beam	I-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
uses	O
a	O
focused	O
or	O
broad	O
beam	O
of	O
energetic	O
lightweight	O
ions	O
(	O
like	O
He+	O
)	O
for	O
transferring	O
pattern	O
to	O
a	O
surface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soft	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
uses	O
elastomer	O
materials	O
made	O
from	O
different	O
chemical	O
compounds	O
such	O
as	O
polydimethylsiloxane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Elastomers	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
stamp	O
,	O
mold	O
,	O
or	O
mask	O
(	O
akin	O
to	O
photomask	B-Algorithm
)	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
generate	O
micro	O
patterns	O
and	O
microstructures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soft	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
is	O
n't	O
suitable	O
for	O
production	O
of	O
semiconductor-based	O
devices	O
as	O
it	O
's	O
not	O
complementary	O
for	O
metal	O
deposition	O
and	O
etching	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nanoimprint	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
NIL	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
variants	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Step-and-Flash	O
Imprint	O
Lithography	O
and	O
laser	O
assisted	O
directed	O
imprint	O
(	O
LADI	O
)	O
are	O
promising	O
nanopattern	O
replication	O
technologies	O
where	O
patterns	O
are	O
created	O
by	O
mechanical	O
deformation	O
of	O
imprint	O
resists	O
,	O
typically	O
monomer	O
or	O
polymer	O
formations	O
that	O
are	O
cured	O
by	O
heat	O
or	O
UV	B-Application
light	O
during	O
imprinting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nanoimprint	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
is	O
capable	O
of	O
producing	O
patterns	O
at	O
sub-10nm	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magnetic	O
mask	O
which	O
is	O
analog	O
to	O
photomask	B-Algorithm
define	O
the	O
spatial	O
distribution	O
and	O
shape	O
of	O
the	O
applied	O
magnetic	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stencil	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
resist-less	O
and	O
parallel	O
method	O
of	O
fabricating	O
nanometer	O
scale	O
patterns	O
using	O
nanometer-size	O
apertures	O
as	O
shadow-masks	O
.	O
</s>
