Electron beam fabrication of birefringent microcylinders

Numerous biological and biotechnological applications rely on the use of micrometer- and nanometer-scale particles, benefiting tremendously from quantitative control of their physical and chemical properties. Here, we describe the use of electron beam lithography for the design, fabrication, and functionalization of micrometer-scale birefringent quartz cylinders for use in sensing and detection. We demonstrate excellent control of the cylinders' geometry, fabricating cylinders with heights of 0.5-2 μm and diameters of 200-500 nm with high precision while maintaining control of their side-wall angle. The flexible fabrication allows cylinders to be selectively shaped into conical structures or to include centered protrusions for the selective attachment of biomolecules. The latter is facilitated by straightforward functionalization targeted either to a cylinder's face or to the centered protrusion alone. The fabricated quartz cylinders are characterized in an optical torque wrench, permitting correlation of their geometrical properties to measured torques. Lastly, we tether individual DNA molecules to the functionalized cylinders and demonstrate the translational and rotational control required for single-molecule studies.