Equation 6 · Part 1 · Patterning at the Limit: What Actually Happens When a Chip Is Manufactured

Symbol k_1

k_1 = 0.25

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 part of the quantity the equation computes from the expression on the right.

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.

Read this part in the article →

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.

Open the illustrated subscripts: which member of a family? guide →

See this notation across published equations →

Sources cited in the article section

These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.