"Force-feedback" leveling of massively parallel arrays in polymer pen lithography.
Polymer pen lithography is a recently developed molecular printing technique which can produce features with diameters ranging from 80 nm to >10 microm in a single writing step using massively parallel (>10(7) pens) arrays of pyramidal, elastomeric pens. Leveling these pen arrays with respect to the surface to produce uniform features over large areas remains a considerable challenge. Here, we describe a new method for leveling the pen arrays that utilizes the force between the pen arrays and the surface to achieve leveling with a tilt of less than 0.004 degrees, thereby producing features that vary by only 50 nm over 1 cm.
Liao
Xing
X
International Institute for Nanotechnology, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Braunschweig
Adam B
AB
Mirkin
Chad A
CA
D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D007281:Ink; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011327:Printing / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013499:Surface Properties
D011108:Polymers; D006046:Gold