title: Oxidized gold as an ultrathin etch resist applied in microcontact printing.
abstract: In this report it is described how a gold surface can be treated with an oxygen plasma to become an effective etch mask, with its etch resistive properties based upon electrostatic repulsion. Such a treated gold layer is only temporarily stable and may therefore be employed as a temporary etch barrier that introduces no contaminating species. Deterioration of the barrier properties can be locally expedited in a scheme that is compatible with microcontact printing. This has been achieved by the microcontact printing of a reductant on a fully oxidized gold substrate.
authors.affiliation: MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Molecular Nanofabrication, and Solid State Physics, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ruben B A
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burdinski
authors.forename: Jurriaan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huskens
authors.forename: Harold J W
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zandvliet
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Reinhoudt
authors.forename: Bene
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poelsema