Lithography is the enabling technology behind almost all geek pursuits. Making chips that have more processing power, use less power, or have a smaller footprint depends on being able to form a sharp image of the small features on a silicon wafer.
The problem is that images are always blurred at some level, creating a lower limit to the size of the smallest feature. In a sort of Hail Mary approach to science, researchers began turning to the world of quantum mechanics for assistance. Amazingly enough, it turned out that entangled photons could help. In principle, imaging with groups of n entangled photons will give an image that is approximately n times sharper than possible using standard approaches. As with all bits of theory, though, this had a number of assumptions and potential gotchas. Now it seems that one of those gotchas is a show-stopper.
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Is quantum lithography dead on arrival?
