title: Microlithography by using neutral metastable atoms and self-assembled monolayers.
abstract: Lithography can be performed with beams of neutral atoms in metastable excited states to pattern self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold. An estimated exposure of a SAM of dodecanethiolate (DDT) to 15 to 20 metastable argon atoms per DDT molecule damaged the SAM sufficiently to allow penetration of an aqueous solution of ferricyanide to the surface of the gold. This solution etched the gold and transformed the patterns in the SAMs into structures of gold; these structures had edge resolution of less than 100 nanometers. Regions of SAMs as large as 2 square centimeters were patterned by exposure to a beam of metastable argon atoms. These observations suggest that this system may be useful in new forms of micro- and nanolithography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Berggren
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bard
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wilbur
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gillaspy
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Helg
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Rolston
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prentiss
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Whitesides
mesh_terms: D001128:Argon; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D005292:Ferricyanides; D006046:Gold; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000295:instrumentation; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D005292:Ferricyanides; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; C013976:dodecylmercaptan; C007931:hexacyanoferrate III; D001128:Argon; D006046:Gold