Direct patterning of three-dimensional periodic nanostructures by surface-plasmon-assisted nanolithography.
The technical applications of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures demand a fabrication technique that is convenient and yet offers design flexibility. We describe here a nanofabrication technique called surface-plasmon-assisted three-dimensional nanolithography (3D-SPAN). By utilizing optical near-field interference patterns generated by surface plasmons (SPs), we have fabricated different 2D/3D periodic polymeric nanostructures in a typical photolithography setup. We have also shown here that the nanostructures fabricated by 3D-SPAN can be controlled easily in terms of size, layout, and defects by designing the SPAN mask. Because of its design flexibility and fabrication convenience, 3D-SPAN could be used to develop "photonics on a chip", where signal processing is carried out by photons instead of electrons and be extended to other applications of direct-writing 3D functional nanostructures.
Shao
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DB
Mechanical Engineering Department and Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. shaochen.chen@engr.utexas.edu
Chen
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SC
D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008422:Materials Testing; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010507:Periodicity; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties