AVS 50th International Symposium
    Organic Films and Devices Tuesday Sessions
       Session OF+EM-TuM

Paper OF+EM-TuM11
Conducting Nanofibers Integrated with Surface Micromachined Structures

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 11:40 am, Room 318/319

Session: Molecular and Organic Films and Devices-Electronics
Presenter: H. Liu, Cornell University
Authors: D. Czaplewski, Cornell University
H. Liu, Cornell University
J. Kameoka, Cornell University
R. Mathers, Cornell University
G. Coates, Cornell University
H.G. Craighead, Cornell University
Correspondent: Click to Email
We present a non-lithographic approach to the formation of oriented polymer nanowires on patterned surfaces. We utilized MEMS structures to deposit conducting nanofibers integrated with patterned electrodes on the surface of a silicon chip. The MEMS structures, used as scanned electrospray sources, are bulk micromachined silicon tips fabricated using microfabrication techniques. A 5 kV potential was applied between the MEMS tip and a rotating counter electrode, which was used to control the orientation of the fibers on the silicon chip containing the measurement electrodes. The nanofibers would form from the extraction of a liquid jet from the silicon tip under an applied electric field. The fibers would dry in transit to the counter electrode, thus depositing single cylindrical fibers. We deposited nanofibers made from a mixture of poly(ethylene oxide) and polyaniline on surface patterned electrodes. Fibers, with diameters ranging from 600 nm to 20 micrometers, were deposited on a set of 4 electrodes, used in a 4 point probe configuration. We measured the conductivity of the fibers, which is consistent with previous reports. We have deposited poly(ethylene oxide) fibers suspended over trenches with diameters as small as 50nm. Additionally, we have used this method to deposit fiber arrays, forming polymer junctions. This method can be used to deposit polymers of various compositions integrated with topographical and surface features.