In the fields of micro- and nanolithography, major advances in resolution have been achieved through the use of shorter wavelengths of light. Using phase- shift mask technology, it has been demonstrated that 193 nm photolithography can produce sub-100 nm features. Such improvements come with an ever- increasing cost for photolithographic tools. As conventional projection lithography reaches its limits, NGL tools using shorter wavelengths and higher numerical apertures (NA) may provide a means to further pattern reduction, but are expected to have a price tag that will be prohibitive for many companies. The development of light sources and optics are primarily responsible for the rise in the cost of an NGL tool. 157 nm lithography, for example, requires the use of CaF 2 as a lens material. In the case of extreme-UV lithography, no source has yet been identified with sufficient output that will meet the industry’s throughput requirements. Clearly, a technology that can reduce tool cost by an order of magnitude will have a significant effect on the economics of the fabrication process 1 . Imprint lithography is essentially a nanomolding process in which the topography of a template defines the patterns created on a substrate. Investigations by several researchers in the sub-50 nm regime indicate that imprint lithography resolution is only limited by the resolution of the template fabrication process 2-4 . This approach possesses important advantages over photolithography and other NGL techniques since it does not require expensive projection optics or advanced illumination sources. by Douglas J. Resnick a *, S. V. Sreenivasan b , and C. Grant Willson c Step & flash imprint lithography a Motorola Labs, 2100 East Elliot Road, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA *E-mail: doug.resnick@motorola.com b Molecular Imprints, Inc., 1807-C West Braker Ln., Austin, TX 78758, USA c Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA February 2005 34 ISSN:1369 7021 © Elsevier Ltd 2005 The escalating cost of next generation lithography (NGL) is driven in part by the need for complex sources and optics. The cost for a single NGL tool could soon exceed $50 million, a prohibitive amount for many companies. As a result, several research groups are looking at alternative, low-cost methods for printing sub-100 nm features. Many of these methods are limited in their ability to do precise overlay. In 1999, Willson and Sreenivasan developed step and flash imprint lithography (S-FIL™). The use of a quartz template opens up the potential for optical alignment of the wafer and template. This paper reviews several key aspects of the S-FIL process, including template, tool, ultraviolet (UV)- curable monomer, and pattern transfer. Two applications are also presented: contact holes and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters.