German-based companyHeidelberg Instruments has bought the patent for a process developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder that helps build computers on the nanoscale. The new technique makes nano-sized drawings, lines that are a thousand times thinner than a human hair in polymer. These etchings are used when making semiconductors, which are the processors found in laptops and cell phones.
“The smaller that they can form features in polymer, the smaller features they can make in each semiconductor and that makes each semiconductor faster and more compact,” said Chris Bowman, a professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at CU-Boulder. Bowman worked on the team that created the technique.
While similar methods are on the market, Bowman and his team believe theirs will be less costly and more efficient. This could one day lead to smaller, faster and more affordable computers for consumers. The technology could also be used in solar panels and gaming systems.