Versatile Nanoring Fabrication Assisted by Hole-mask Colloidal Lithography

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optics

Background:

• Nanomaterials shaped as rings offer tunable properties at the nanoscale.
• Nanoring plasmonic resonators are crucial for sensing applications due to their tunable near-infrared optical resonances.
• Existing fabrication methods like electron beam lithography are costly, while self-assembly lacks control, and current colloidal lithography has material and size limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a generic and cost-effective method for fabricating nanorings with controlled dimensions and material composition.
• To overcome the limitations of existing nanoring fabrication techniques.

Main Methods:

• Extension of Hole-mask Colloidal Lithography (HCL) using ring-shaped holes.
• Deposition of arbitrary materials, including low-cost and non-plasmonic options.
• Independent tuning of nanoring wall thickness and diameter.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of nanorings using diverse materials such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), and tungsten (W).
• Demonstrated independent control over nanoring wall thickness and diameter.
• Enabled the creation of nanorings with tunable optical properties for various applications.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced HCL approach provides a scalable and adaptable platform for nanoring fabrication.
• This method allows for precise tuning of nanoring parameters and material selection, expanding possibilities in nano-optics and beyond.