{"id":14823,"date":"2025-09-26T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/?p=14823"},"modified":"2025-10-20T08:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T06:59:13","slug":"a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/","title":{"rendered":"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Researchers took on the challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Can we build electrical circuits smaller than anything we\u2019ve known so far? That was the goal set by a team at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Their discovery, published in the prestigious journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44286-025-00273-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><em>Nature Chemical Engineering<\/em><\/a>, <strong>opens the door to manufacturing circuits at sizes that not long ago seemed impossible<\/strong>. Will <strong>record-small microchips<\/strong> soon find their way into our computers and phones?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Companies have roadmaps for where they want to be in <strong>10<\/strong> to <strong>20<\/strong> years and beyond<\/em>,\u201d explains Michael Tsapatsis, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at JHU and a co-author of the discovery, in an interview with Phys.org. \u201c<em>One obstacle has been <strong>developing a process to make smaller features on the production line, where you can irradiate materials quickly and with absolute precision<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d The JHU scientists set out to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How are microchips made?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microchips are flat pieces of silicon with printed circuits that perform core functions. In fabrication, the manufacturer coats silicon wafers with a radiation-sensitive material, creating an ultrathin layer called a resist. During <strong>exposure<\/strong>, <strong>when a beam is directed at the resist, it triggers a chemical reaction that etches circuit details into the wafer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem arises when you push for ever smaller features. <strong>Higher-intensity beams needed to sculpt the <a href=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/new-high-power-laser-chip\/\">tiniest elements<\/a> don\u2019t interact strongly enough with traditional resists<\/strong>. This is where the Tsapatsis team\u2019s breakthrough comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Worth reading:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/extraordinary-caterpillars-conquered-the-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Japanese Breakthrough: Thanks to Extraordinary Caterpillars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How they built record-small microchips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, earlier work showed that resists made with certain materials can work with <strong>beyond extreme ultraviolet (B-EUV)<\/strong> irradiation. The approach has the potential to create features smaller than today\u2019s <strong>10-nanometre<\/strong> standard. <em>\u201cBy using two components (a metal and an imidazole), you can tune light absorption and the follow-up chemistry,\u201d<\/em> Tsapatsis explains. He notes there are at least <strong>10<\/strong> different metals and hundreds of organic compounds that can be used in this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The JHU researchers developed a methodology that enables precise fabrication and fast exploration of different metal\u2013imidazole combinations \u2014 opening up near-endless optimisation. \u201c<em>Because different wavelengths interact differently with different elements, a metal that \u2018loses\u2019 at one wavelength can be a \u2018winner\u2019 at another,<\/em>\u201d says Tsapatsis. \u201c<em><strong>Zinc<\/strong> isn\u2019t great for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation but it\u2019s among the best for <strong>B-EUV<\/strong>.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does this mean that in a decade we\u2019ll carry devices in our pockets with the power of today\u2019s supercomputers? One thing is certain: the limits of miniaturisation have just moved much further \u2014 thanks to record-small microchips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read this article in Polish<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/rekordowo-male-mikrochipy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nowa era miniaturyzacji. Powsta\u0142y rekordowo ma\u0142e mikrochipy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine electrical circuits so tiny you can\u2019t see them with the naked eye. Record-small microchips are the work of researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Their discovery could usher in a new era of miniaturization in electronics \u2014 powered by record-small microchips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":275,"featured_media":14824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[1831,1830,1829,1382,1828,821],"class_list":["post-14823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-irradiation","tag-microchips","tag-miniaturization","tag-nanotechnology","tag-record-small-microchips","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Holistic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalHolisticNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maciej Bartusik\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@news_holistic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@news_holistic\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maciej Bartusik\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Maciej Bartusik\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0758fb0cf338b71ce51e2da415bc266c\"},\"headline\":\"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":436,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/record-small-microchips.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"irradiation\",\"microchips\",\"miniaturization\",\"nanotechnology\",\"record-small microchips\",\"technology\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/\",\"name\":\"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/record-small-microchips.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/record-small-microchips.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/record-small-microchips.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Photo: Laura Ockel \\\/ Unsplash.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Holistic News | in English\",\"description\":\"Seeking Truth and Goodness\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Holistic News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/09\\\/logo.png\",\"width\":269,\"height\":57,\"caption\":\"Holistic News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/portalHolisticNews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/news_holistic\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/holisticnews\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0758fb0cf338b71ce51e2da415bc266c\",\"name\":\"Maciej Bartusik\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Maciej Bartusik\"},\"description\":\"A journalist and a graduate of Jagiellonian University. He gained experience in radio and online media. He has dozens of publications on new technologies and space exploration. He is interested in modern energy. A lover of Italian cuisine, especially pasta in every form.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/holistic.news\\\/en\\\/author\\\/maciej-bartusik\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips","description":"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips","og_description":"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.","og_url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/","og_site_name":"Holistic News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalHolisticNews\/","article_published_time":"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maciej Bartusik","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@news_holistic","twitter_site":"@news_holistic","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maciej Bartusik","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/"},"author":{"name":"Maciej Bartusik","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0758fb0cf338b71ce51e2da415bc266c"},"headline":"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips","datePublished":"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/"},"wordCount":436,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg","keywords":["irradiation","microchips","miniaturization","nanotechnology","record-small microchips","technology"],"articleSection":["Science"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/","name":"A new era of miniaturization. Record-small microchips","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-26T06:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-20T06:59:13+00:00","description":"JHU scientists built record-small microchips. Their new B-EUV resist approach could reshape chipmaking and accelerate the next wave of miniaturization.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/a-new-era-of-miniaturization-record-small-microchips\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/record-small-microchips.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Photo: Laura Ockel \/ Unsplash."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/","name":"Holistic News | in English","description":"Seeking Truth and Goodness","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#organization","name":"Holistic News","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/logo.png","width":269,"height":57,"caption":"Holistic News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/portalHolisticNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/news_holistic","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/holisticnews\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/0758fb0cf338b71ce51e2da415bc266c","name":"Maciej Bartusik","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1342251aeb1fef1a488cf90843f154b9bb922b80e596515369351fd356ef5e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Maciej Bartusik"},"description":"A journalist and a graduate of Jagiellonian University. He gained experience in radio and online media. He has dozens of publications on new technologies and space exploration. He is interested in modern energy. A lover of Italian cuisine, especially pasta in every form.","url":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/author\/maciej-bartusik\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14823"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15049,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14823\/revisions\/15049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}