Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN): process and instrument performance with NanoInk's NSCRIPTOR system

Area of Science:

• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Surface Science

Background:

• Precision nanoscale deposition is essential for advanced research and industrial applications.
• Tailoring chemical composition and surface structure at the sub-100 nm scale is vital for fields like catalysis, biological recognition, and nanoelectronics.
• Applications include additive photomask repair and nanodevice fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of tip radius and surface roughness on Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN) performance.
• To characterize the capabilities of the Nscriptor DPN instrument for nanoscale patterning.
• To establish control over feature size and placement in nanoscale fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN), a scanning-probe-based direct-write technique.
• Systematically varied tip radius and substrate surface roughness during deposition.
• Employed the Nscriptor DPN instrument for nanoscale pattern generation and characterization.

Main Results:

• Blunter tips and increased root-mean-square (rms) surface roughness result in larger minimum line widths.
• Line edge roughness increases with substrate roughness and surface feature size.
• Demonstrated feature placement precision below 10 nm and size control better than 15% for sub-100 nm features.

Conclusions:

• Tip geometry and substrate topography are critical parameters influencing DPN resolution and line quality.
• The Nscriptor DPN instrument offers high precision for fabricating nanoscale features.
• Findings provide essential insights for optimizing DPN processes in nanoscience and nanomanufacturing.