Molecular Imprints Inc. of Austin, Texas, a manufacturer of S-Fil step and flash imprint lithography equipment, has announced a roughly $36 million joint venture proposal for the development of nanoimprint lithography at key semiconductor nodes. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program is contributing $17.6 million to the project, with the balance to be shared by joint venture participants.

Along with partners KLA-Tencor, Photronics, Motorola Labs and the University of Texas at Austin, Molecular Imprints will work to establish a technology infrastructure for the S-Fil process, including system, material and template (mask) development. Dense contact layers, important in silicon-integrated circuit fabrication will be the focus of the three-year project.