IBM researchers plan to describe an advance in chip-making on Monday that could pave the way for new generations of superchips.

The development will make it possible to create semiconductors with features thinner than 30 nanometers, one-third the width of today’s industry-standard chips.

The researchers have created the thinnest line patterns to date using deep ultraviolet lithography, extending the life of argon fluoride excimer lasers that generate the ultraviolet light used in the photolithographic process. The researchers discovered that they could enhance the resolving power of the light source by shifting to a lens made from a crystalline quartz material and exotic immersion liquids that have better refraction properties than those currently used by the industry.