{"slug": "low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025", "title": "Low-cost OSS maskless photolithography stepper for microfabrication (2025)", "summary": "Researchers have developed a $3,000 open-source maskless photolithography stepper that uses a DLP projector and deep learning computer vision to achieve sub-2-micron resolution, enabling low-cost microfabrication of devices like NMOS transistors.", "body_md": "# Physics > Instrumentation and Detectors\n\n[Submitted on 16 Oct 2025]\n\n# Title:A low-cost, open-source maskless photolithography stepper for microfabrication\n\n[View PDF](/pdf/2510.15082)\n\n[HTML (experimental)](https://arxiv.org/html/2510.15082v1)\n\nAbstract:Photolithography is a key part of modern semiconductor process flows, and photolithography steppers have been used for decades to achieve precise patterning for device fabrication. However, these tools are often large and expensive, which restricts their use to industry and well-funded university laboratories. In this paper, we propose a $3000 maskless photolithography stepper that is affordable, open-source, and easy to assemble. The stepper, which uses a Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector as its optical engine, is able to achieve an optical resolution of under 2 microns. The stepper also features a motorized micropositioning system, which is able to align features with single-digit micron precision. A deep learning computer vision model is also used to achieve fine-grain alignment of patterns on a chip. These capabilities allow for the use of the stepper for microfabrication to produce micron-scale devices such as NMOS transistors.\n\n### Current browse context:\n\nphysics.ins-det\n\nChange to browse by:\n\n### References & Citations\n\nLoading...\n\n# Bibliographic and Citation Tools\n\nBibliographic Explorer\n\n*(*[What is the Explorer?](https://info.arxiv.org/labs/showcase.html#arxiv-bibliographic-explorer))\nConnected Papers\n\n*(*[What is Connected Papers?](https://www.connectedpapers.com/about))\nLitmaps\n\n*(*[What is Litmaps?](https://www.litmaps.co/))\nscite Smart Citations\n\n*(*[What are Smart Citations?](https://www.scite.ai/))# Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article\n\nalphaXiv\n\n*(*[What is alphaXiv?](https://alphaxiv.org/))\nCatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers\n\n*(*[What is CatalyzeX?](https://www.catalyzex.com))\nDagsHub\n\n*(*[What is DagsHub?](https://dagshub.com/))\nGotit.pub\n\n*(*[What is GotitPub?](http://gotit.pub/faq))\nHugging Face\n\n*(*[What is Huggingface?](https://huggingface.co/huggingface))\nScienceCast\n\n*(*[What is ScienceCast?](https://sciencecast.org/welcome))# Demos\n\n# Recommenders and Search Tools\n\nInfluence Flower\n\n*(*[What are Influence Flowers?](https://influencemap.cmlab.dev/))\nCORE Recommender\n\n*(*[What is CORE?](https://core.ac.uk/services/recommender))# arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators\n\narXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.\n\nBoth individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.\n\nHave an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? [ Learn more about arXivLabs](https://info.arxiv.org/labs/index.html).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025", "canonical_source": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.15082", "published_at": "2026-07-07 20:47:43+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-07 20:59:43.700521+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["computer-vision"], "entities": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/low-cost-oss-maskless-photolithography-stepper-for-microfabrication-2025.jsonld"}}