BALTIMORE – Pixelligent and Brewer Science Inc. announced the development of a new spin-on hardmask technology. Pixelligent, an innovator in manufacturing nanocrystal additives for the electronics, industrial and military markets, and Brewer Science, a global technology leader in the microelectronics industry, have brought together their nanocrystal and microelectronic coating technologies to create a next-generation spin-on hardmask for advanced lithography.  

The hardmask incorporates Pixelligent’s leading-edge nanocrystal and dispersion technologies with Brewer Science’s industry-leading polymer technology. The result is a hardmask that dramatically improves the process window, while at the same time significantly reduces line collapse, improves etch selectivity, and offers broad resist compatibility. This product is the result of two years of intense collaboration between Pixelligent Technologies and Brewer Science, with significant support from NIST under an $8 million Technology Innovation Program award.   

“We have worked very closely with Pixelligent over the past two years and have been impressed by their unique capability for producing 2-5 nm diameter, high-purity metal oxide nanocrystals that are stably dispersed in organic media. Their well-controlled manufacturing process reliably yields a narrow particle size distribution that is critical for the performance of our new spin-on hardmask product. We look forward to working with Pixelligent on other products enabled by their nanocrystal technology,” commented Tony Flaim, CTO of Brewer Science.     

“We are very proud that Brewer Science, one of the leading materials suppliers to the semiconductor industry, selected Pixelligent to be its partner. Brewer Science’s reputation and successful track record of introducing innovative products in the semiconductor industry is second to none, and the company has been a great partner. I am confident that the semiconductor industry will quickly realize the tremendous value this next-generation hardmask offers,” said Craig Bandes, President and CEO of Pixelligent Technologies. 

Pixelligent is working with numerous technology leaders such as Brewer Science as well as a number of Fortune 1000 companies to develop market-leading products in the electronics, industrial and military markets. 

When commercialized, the new hardmask will be available in Brewer Science’s OptiStack^®system of lithography solutions.