SUSS MicroTec and Rolith Cooperate on Development of New Nanolithography Technology for Solar and Glass products

Date: 13 December 2010
Source: Suss Microtec AG press Release 12/02/2010
Garching, GERMANY and Dublin, CA, USA, December 2, 2010 - SUSS MicroTec, a leading supplier of equipment and process solution for the semiconductor industry and related markets, today announced that it has entered into a joint development and exclusive license agreement with Rolith, Inc. to develop and build nanostructuring equipment employing a disruptive nanolithography method developed by Rolith.

Availability of a high throughput cost effective technique for nanostructuring over large areas of substrate materials brings new possibilities to renewable energy and green building markets. 

Rolith’s patent pending nanolithography technology is based on a proprietary implementation of near-field optical lithography using cylindrically shaped rolling masks. Sub-wavelength resolution is achieved by phase-shift interference effect or plasmonic enhancement printing structures. Continuous mode of operation will allow high throughput and low cost production. 

“We anticipate the technology will enable the next generation of advanced products, such as high efficiency 3D solar cells, building-integrated PVs, smart glass and superior quality coatings with anti-reflective, anti-glare, self-cleaning and anti-fog qualities”, said Dr. Boris Kobrin, CEO/President of Rolith, Inc. “We are delighted to partner up with SUSS MicroTec who is known for their world class designs and excellent customer service. With their 60 years of experience with optical lithography systems SUSS MicroTec has the necessary expertise and network to help Rolith to bring this much needed technology to market.”

“Our recent achievements with nanoimprint lithography systems have made us a leading expert for structuring substrates in MEMS and nano applications”, stated Frank Averdung, President and CEO, SUSS MicroTec AG. “Combined with our flexible equipment solutions the novel optical nanolithography technology by Rolith has the potential to bring high volume nanoimprint technology to market by fundamentally changing the cost structure compared to current technologies.”




About SUSS MicroTec

SUSS MicroTec is a leading supplier of equipment and process solutions for microstructuring in the semiconductor industry and related markets. In close cooperation with research institutes and industry partners SUSS MicroTec contributes to the advancement of next-generation technologies such as 3D Integration and nanoimprint lithography as well as key processes for MEMS and LED manufacturing.

With a global infrastructure for applications and service SUSS MicroTec supports more than 8,000 installed systems worldwide. SUSS MicroTec is headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany.

For more information, please visit www.suss.com.

About Rolith, Inc.

Rolith is developing advanced nanostructured products for renewable energy and green building markets using proprietary nanolithography technology. Its “Rolling Mask” nanostructuring system has potential to reach less than $2/m2 cost in production environment and surpass all current nanolithography systems, including the main competitor, Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) in cost and quality. Rolith was formed by Dr. Boris Kobrin, Prof. Mark Brongersma and Julian Zegelman in 2008 and is currently located in Dublin, CA. To date the company has filed 9 patent applications in the areas of nanolithography, material deposition and etch methods, and nanophotonic devices. For more information: www.rolith.com.