Modular design

Physics

Geology

Fabrication

Pathology

Nanotechnology

Critical dimension

Resist

Etching (microfabrication)

Operating system

Optics

Oceanography

Nanolithography

Multiple patterning

Lithography

Materials science

Alternative medicine

Substrate (aquarium)

Layer (electronics)

Computer science

Nanomanufacturing

Optoelectronics

Medicine

Nature Materials

Lithographic scaling of periodic three-dimensional patterns is critical for advancing scalable nanomanufacturing. Current state-of-the-art quadruple patterning or extreme-ultraviolet lithography produce a line pitch down to around 30 nm, which might be further scaled to sub-20 nm through complex post-fabrication processes. Herein, we report the use of three-dimensional (3D) DNA nanostructures to scale the line pitch down to 16.2 nm, around 50% smaller than state-of-the-art results. We use a DNA modular epitaxy approach to fabricate 3D DNA masks with prescribed structural parameters (geometry, pitch and critical dimensions) along a designer assembly pathway. Single-run reactive ion etching then transfers the DNA patterns to a Si substrate at a lateral critical dimension of 7 nm and a vertical critical dimension of 2 nm. The nanolithography guided by DNA modular epitaxy achieves a smaller pitch than the projected values for advanced technology nodes in field-effect transistors, and provides a potential complement to the existing lithographic tools for advanced 3D nanomanufacturing. Epitaxially grown 3D DNA masks with prescribed geometry, pitch and size improve the resolution of reactive ion etching-based nanolithography, scaling the line pitch down to 16.2 nm and the critical dimension size to 7.2 nm.

Three-dimensional nanolithography guided by DNA modular epitaxy