Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER) — Department of Defense funding opportunity
Department of Defense · Federal agency

Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER)

Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER) Funding Agency DOW DARPA Yea...

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Deadline 5 days ago Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Closed posted Sep 23, 2026
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: small business, research institution, university.
  • Next deadline: October 21, 2026.
  • Issued by: Department of Defense.
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How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

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Who can apply — at a glance

  • Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
  • Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
  • Award: amount not specified by the source.
  • Matching funds: not required.
  • Deadline type: Fixed.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

Department of Defense is a federal-level funder.

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Deadline
5 days ago
Oct 21, 2026

About this opportunity

Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER) Funding Agency DOW DARPA Year: 2026 Topic Number: DPA26TZ06-DV004 Solicitation Number: 26.TZ Tagged as: STTR BOTH Solicitation Status: Open NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which will take you directly to the appropriate agency server where you can read the official version of this solicitation and download the appropriate forms and rules. View Official Solicitation Release Schedule Release Date September 2, 2026 Open Date September 23, 2026 Due Date(s) October 21, 2026 Close Date October 21, 2026 Description Next-generation defense-relevant microsystem technologies, such as 3D integrated circuits, high-density memory arrays, MEMS inertial sensors and RF filters, and integrated photonic devices, rely on the precise manufacturing of extreme high-aspect-ratio features within a chip [1-3]. Furthermore, emerging architectures for multiferroic memory and logic components, such as those being pioneered under DARPA's Fast and Curious program to benefit immensely from novel process flows capable of delivering deep trenches with ultra-low line-edge roughness. As critical dimensions of these devices continue to shrink to improve performance or reduce size and cost, the ability to accurately transfer lithographic patterns into underlying substrates (such as silicon) via aggressive plasma etching has become a primary manufacturing bottleneck. Current state-of-the-art (SOTA) hard masks predominantly utilize thick chemical vapor deposition (CVD) inorganic films ( silicon dioxide, silicon nitride) or sputtered metals. These conventional technologies face fundamental physical limitations at extreme scales. To achieve the necessary etch resistance, standard masks must be deposited with significant thickness, which induces high stress, structural instability, pattern distortion, and reduced feature fidelity during the etch process. Furthermore, conventional metal masks exhibit polycrystalline structures; their inherent grain boundaries erode unevenly under ion bombardment, propagating severe line-edge and sidewall roughness that degrades the electrical and structural integrity of the final device. This STTR topic seeks highly innovative masking materials that disrupt the current paradigm. The goal is to identify and develop solutions that deliver ultra-high etch selectivity while addressing the weaknesses of current SOTA solutions. Proposed approaches should inherently bypass the degradation mechanisms of traditional masks by utilizing low-dimensional, continuously ordered, inherently grain-free and/or self-regenerating structures to ensure pristine pattern transferring with low line-edge roughness even when subjected to aggressive, high-density plasma [5-7]. Solutions do not have to be limited to silicon processing and may target compound semiconductors, wide-bandgap materials, piezoelectric material stacks or any other microsystems platform relevant to the Department of War (DoW). Compatibility with existing or minimally-modified reactive ion etching (RIE), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), Bosch Deep RIE (DRIE), or related plasma fabrication tools is strongly preferred. Proposers should identify the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for enhanced pattern-transfer performance and demonstrate a clear path toward scalable manufacturing. Metrics of interest include improvements in etch selectivity, maximum achievable aspect ratio, critical-dimension control, sidewall roughness, mask thickness reduction, process throughput, and compatibility with wafer-scale manufacturing.

Funding agency

Department of Defense
Federal agency

Tags

Manufacturing Nonprofit & Community Small Business Technology & Software Energy & Utilities Education & Research Construction & Housing Climate & Environment Science, Tech & Engineering (STEM) sttr SBIR/STTR
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Who can apply

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) eligibility: applicant must be a small business concern (<= 500 employees) partnered with a non-profit research institution (university or federally-funded R&D center). Small business performs at least 40% of the work; research institution performs at least 30%. | eligibility Apply Find Topics and Solicitations Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Lab to Market Hub Program Tutorials Community Stay connected with our innovation ecosystem Community Event Spotlight News and Events Newsletter Sign-up Federal and State Technology (FAST) Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Scalable Hard-mask materials with Improved Etch resistance and Low Degradation for Extreme-aspect-Ratio fabrication (SHIELDER) Funding Agency DOW DARPA Year: 2026 Topic Number: DPA26TZ06-DV004 Solicitation Number: 26.TZ Tagged as: STTR BOTH Solicitation Status: Open NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia

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Citation details

Source systemsbir-gov-sttr
Source IDDPA26TZ06-DV004-13000
PostedSep 23, 2026

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