Parallel scanning near-field photolithography: the snomipede
Ehtsham ul Haq1, Zhuming Liu, Yuan Zhang
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK.
Nano Letters
|October 16, 2010
Summary
The Snomipede integrates scanning near-field photolithography with massive parallelism for high-resolution, large-area chemical transformations. This parallel processing enables advanced nanofabrication and material processing with unprecedented efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Photolithography
Background:
- Scanning probe lithography traditionally suffers from serial processing limitations.
- Massive parallelism offers a solution to enhance throughput in lithography.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a "Snomipede" system by combining the "Millipede" concept with scanning near-field photolithography.
- To achieve parallel chemical transformations at high resolution over macroscopic areas.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a "Millipede"-inspired parallel probe array with sixteen individually controllable probes.
- Coupled light beams to cantilever probes with hollow, pyramidal tips for selective photochemistry.
- Demonstrated photodeprotection and subsequent polymer brush growth via atom-transfer radical polymerization.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated 70 nm structures in photoresist using the Snomipede probe array.
- Achieved selective photodeprotection of protected aminosiloxane monolayers.
- Demonstrated scalable methodology for parallel nanoscale fabrication.
Conclusions:
- The Snomipede system effectively integrates top-down and bottom-up fabrication paradigms.
- Enables reactive processing of materials at nanometer resolution over macroscopic scales.
- Offers a powerful platform for advanced nanofabrication and material engineering.
