Patterning of PMMA by gold-nanoparticle initiated localized decomposition
- The need for manipulating matter at its smallest scale has been a hot topic in research for the last decades. As the final goal of arranging single atoms has been achieved, research focuses on two targets: firstly, improving the capabilities of existing technologies towards nanometer resolution and secondly, finding new methods for producing nanostructures in a fast and easy way. Here, we present a new maskless method for sub-micro-patterning of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films. By applying atomic-force-microscope (AFM) assisted nano-xerography, electric charges were locally injected with an AFM-tip into PMMA. The resulting electrostatic patterns attracted charged gold-nanoparticles, which were selectively deposited onto the PMMA layers with lateral dimensions below 200 nm. In a second step, heat treatment at 275 °C initiated a selective decomposition of the PMMA layer, only observed in PMMA-areas covered with nanoparticles, whereas uncovered areas were not modified by the heat treatment. Analyzing the grooves with the AFM, we found that lines with a width in the sub-micrometer range to several micrometers have successfully been realized. We propose this new and promising method to manufacture nano-grooves used as masking for lift-off processes, for functionalization of underlying areas, or for micro-contact-printing.
Author: | Florian Emmerich, Christiane Thielemann |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1109/3M-NANO.2015.7425480 |
Parent Title (English): | 2015 International Conference on Manipulation, Manufacturing and Measurement on the Nanoscale (3M-NANO), Changchun, China |
Document Type: | Conference Proceeding |
Language: | English |
Year of Completion: | 2015 |
Release Date: | 2020/04/29 |
Tag: | Electrostatics; Gold; Heating; Nanoparticles; Thermal stability |
GND Keyword: | Polymethylmethacrylate; Dünnschichttechnik |
Urheberrecht: | 0 |
research focus : | Intelligent Systems / Artifical Intelligence and Data Science |
Intelligent Systems / Clean Tech | |
Intelligent Systems / Intelligent Sensors and Signals | |
Materials / Material Testing & Sensor Technology | |
Licence (German): | Keine Lizenz - es gilt das deutsche Urheberrecht |