As the semiconductor industry moves from the micrometer era into the nanometer era, micro/nano fabrication acts like a precision microscopic craftsman. With molecular- and atomic-scale processing capability, it helps break physical limits, supports chip-performance upgrades and enables semiconductor application innovation.

Its first value lies in making chips smaller and more efficient. As process nodes advance from 7 nm and 5 nm toward 3 nm and 2 nm, conventional lithography alone cannot meet the required accuracy. Immersion lithography and EUV lithography provide the necessary patterning capability. EUV uses 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet light to form atomic-scale circuit features, while dry and wet etching precisely control material removal to nanometer-level thickness, improving sidewall verticality and reducing signal interference.

In advanced packaging, micro/nano fabrication breaks the performance limits of single-chip scaling and supports system-level integration. Copper-to-copper direct bonding and TSV technology reduce interconnect pitch to below 10 micrometers, shorten signal paths and improve data-processing speed. Nanoscale thermal coatings also help solve heat dissipation problems in high-density packages.

In specialty semiconductors, micro/nano fabrication enables customized innovation. Power devices for new energy vehicles and photovoltaic inverters rely on epitaxial growth and micro/nano processing to improve breakdown voltage and reduce conduction loss. RF chips for 5G base stations require micrometer-scale antenna arrays and filters fabricated by lithography and coating. MEMS sensors use micro/nano fabrication to create cantilever beams and capacitive structures, greatly improving sensitivity for smartphones, airbags and industrial systems.

From 7 nm chip production to 3D packaging and specialty semiconductor devices, micro/nano fabrication has become a core force that helps the semiconductor industry break physical limits and expand application boundaries.