Fabrication of nanostructures on polyethylene terephthalate substrate by interference lithography and plasma etching

We report results of an attempt to create nanostructures on polyethylene terephthalate substrate using the interference lithography and plasma etching technique. Methods to create nanogrooves, nanopillars, nanofins and nanoholes have been presented. The effects of chemical and physical etching associated with plasma etching on the synthesis of nanostructures were examined in detail. Different etch rates and anisotropy as a function of plasma power and pressure were reported and explained, offering good understanding of the physics of the etching process. Ways to improve anisotropy have been suggested and experimentally verified. We show that this method can produce nanostructured substrate with wide surface coverage and good uniformity. The flexibility of this method was demonstrated in that the period and shapes of the nanopattern can be varied easily without resorting to complicated fabrication processes and machinery. Our method brings forth an easy and cost-effective way to create uniform nanostructures on a large area in a controllable fashion.