NIST researchers are developing a diode-laser based interferometer device that can resolve distances smaller than the radius of an atom and that could serve as a reliable method for writing 10-nanometer-sized features on silicon.

They are packaging the new technology into a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) system designed to write patterns with dimensions determined by counting the atoms that make up the patterns’ structural features. Ultimately aiming for an accuracy of better than 1 nanometer, the team intends to supply the semiconductor industry with benchmark references to calibrate measurement tools used in research and production.

NIST press release