Equation 4 · Part 1 · Patterning at the Limit: What Actually Happens When a Chip Is Manufactured

Symbol k_1

k_1

k_1

What this part means

a dimensionless process factor absorbing illumination scheme, mask engineering and resist behaviour.

Its job in the formula

$k_1$ is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.

Full expressionSymbol k_1Article meaning

Where the article explains it

where $\lambda$ is the exposure wavelength, $\mathrm{NA}$ is the numerical aperture of the projection optics, and $k_1$ is a dimensionless process factor absorbing illumination scheme, mask engineering and resist behaviour.

The passage around this formula

where $\lambda$ is the exposure wavelength, $\mathrm{NA}$ is the numerical aperture of the projection optics, and $k_1$ is a dimensionless process factor absorbing illumination scheme, mask engineering and resist behaviour. Two-beam interference sets a hard floor: for a periodic line-and-space pattern the smallest printable half-pitch is $\lambda$ / (2\, $\mathrm{NA}$ ) , which is $k_1$ = 0.25 in the convention where R is a half-pitch. Everything the industry calls resolution enhancement — off-axis illumination, phase shifting, optical proximity correction, inverse lithography — is an attempt to drive $k_1$ down toward that floor without printing garbage.

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Learn the underlying idea

A subscript is a label attached below a symbol. It often selects a time step, component, category, or member of a sequence.

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Sources cited in the article section

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