Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a precise and scalable way to create ultra-thin films that could help the semiconductor industry build smaller, faster, and more efficient computer chips.

team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University has developed a new method to create extremely thin, smooth coatings that could help power the next generation of computer chips.

The team’s research appears in Nature Chemical Engineering and was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal.

These coatings are made from amorphous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (aZIFs), a type of advanced material known for its flexibility and ability to absorb extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light—an important feature for modern chip-making. Despite their promise, scientists have struggled to produce these films evenly and reliably, especially on the large surfaces used in semiconductor manufacturing.

“Creating uniform aZIF films has been a major challenge,” says Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Institute for NanoBioTechnology PhD student Kayley E. Waltz. “Previous methods relied heavily on trial and error, which made it difficult to scale up for real-world applications.”

To solve this, the team developed a “spin-on” deposition method. In this process, a liquid solution is dropped onto a spinning surface, spreading out into a thin, even layer. By carefully controlling how the materials mix and flow, the researchers were able to fine-tune the film’s thickness down to the nanometer—thousands of times thinner than a human hair—while maintaining uniformity across entire wafers.

The team’s breakthrough came from combining this technique with detailed computer modeling of how fluids behave. These simulations revealed that controlling the flow of the liquid at a microscopic level is key to producing smooth, defect-free films.

“Our goal was to move from guesswork to prediction,” says postdoctoral fellow Xinpei Zhou. “By understanding the physics behind the process, we can now design coatings that are both precise and scalable.”

Using this method, the team’s results were not only smooth and consistent, but highly versatile. The results demonstrated that the chemical composition of the films can be altered, allowing researchers to tailor their properties for different applications.

When tested in lithography experiments, the films performed well, enabling the creation of very fine patterns. This suggests they could be useful in next-generation chip manufacturing, including technologies that go beyond current systems.

“As demand grows for more powerful electronics, manufacturers must pack more components into smaller spaces,” says postdoctoral fellow Yurun Miao. “This requires new materials and techniques that can reliably shape extremely fine features. The new method could help by offering a predictable, scalable way to create high-quality thin films—something that has been missing for aZIF materials.”

“With this method, we now can bring real predictability to how these materials are made. That opens the door not only to next-generation chip manufacturing, but to a whole range of technologies that depend on precise, high-quality thin films,” says Michael Tsapatsis, core researcher for the Institute for NanoBioTechnology and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering. Beyond semiconductors, the technique could be used in other fields that rely on ultra-thin, defect-free coatings, such as filtration systems and gas separation technologies.

Collaborators for this research also include East China University of Science and Technology’s Shunyi Zheng, Yegui Zhou, Heting Wang, and Liwei Zhuang; Stony Brook University’s Mueed Ahmad and J. Anibal Boscoboinik; Soochow University’s Qi Liu; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne’s Kumar Varoon Agrawal; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Oleg Kostko.

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Shanghai Pujiang Program, the US National Science Foundation, and the Bloomberg Distinguished Professorship Program at Johns Hopkins University.

Story by Emily Flinchum