By Peter Weiss
An obscure optical effect that had faded from view for more than a century suddenly has become a hot topic for microelectronics producers. New studies show that this effect, called intrinsic birefringence, could incapacitate the next generation of factory tools for making chips.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Md., began circulating this revelation in May. It probably will force engineers to redesign multimillion-dollar machines already slated for production, they say.