Light waves narrower than a virus are used to etch circuits onto silicon
Modern semiconductor manufacturing employs extreme ultraviolet light with wavelengths narrower than a virus to etch billions of transistors onto silicon chips, pushing the physical boundaries of miniaturization and computing power.
Engineers now use Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) light at a wavelength of just 13.5 nanometers to etch intricate circuits onto silicon. This light is significantly smaller than most viruses, allowing for the creation of 2-nanometer nodes. Such precision enables modern transistors to be 100,000 times smaller than those found on the original 1971 Intel 4004 processor.
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