From: veritasium
The phenomenon observed with microwaving grapes, where electromagnetic fields are highly concentrated, holds significant potential for advancing lithography techniques, particularly in microchip fabrication [00:06:44].
Current Limitations in Microchip Fabrication
Currently, the primary limitation in fabricating microchips and achieving smaller features is lithography [00:06:56].
Leveraging the Grape Phenomenon
The studies on the grape phenomenon have shown that two spheres of the correct size and refractive index can focus electromagnetic energy into a tiny spot between them [00:07:06]. In the grape experiment, this focus was achieved down to approximately a millimeter, from radiation with a 12-centimeter wavelength [00:07:14].
Advancing Lithography Techniques
If a similar focusing capability could be achieved with light, it would represent a substantial improvement over existing lithography techniques [00:07:20]. Harnessing this principle for lithography could enable the writing of extremely small features, potentially with resolutions as fine as 2 nanometers [00:07:32]. This advancement would be crucial for continuing Moore’s Law, allowing for the placement of many more small components on a single chip [00:07:41].