Studies of the feasibility of custom-interconnected, large-scale integrated circuits required the development of means for converting computer-generated wiring instructions into metallic conductors on a semiconductor wafer. The resulting equipment took two forms. In one, ultraviolet light serves to expose photoresists on a mechanically translated wafer; the other employs an electron beam. Both systems were adequate to produce two-mil-wide conductors, but differ in their potential for achieving high production rates or very thin lines.
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