AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Surface Science Wednesday Sessions
       Session SS2-WeM

Paper SS2-WeM5
Parallel Scanning Near-Field Photolithography: The Snomipede

Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 9:20 am, Room Santa Ana

Session: Electron, Photon and Ion Beam Induced Surface Modification
Presenter: G.J. Leggett, University of Sheffield, UK
Authors: E. ul Haq, University of Sheffield, UK
Z. Liu, University of Nottingham, UK
S. Alang Ahmad, University of Sheffield, UK
Y. Zhang, University of Glasgow, Ireland
L.S. Wong, University of Manchester, UK
J.K. Hobbs, University of Sheffield, UK
G.J. Leggett, University of Sheffield, UK
J. Micklefield, University of Manchester, UK
C.J. Roberts, University of Nottingham, UK
J.M.R. Weaver, University of Glasgow, UK
Correspondent: Click to Email
There has been enormous interest in the organisation of molecules at interfaces with nanometre spatial resolution, but important challenges still remain to be addressed. Of the established techniques, electron beam lithography is expensive, and requires exposure under vacuum, while scanning probe methods are slow and (with few exceptions) do not permit fabrication over large areas. Here, a new approach is described that yields arbitrary pattern fabrication over macroscopic areas. Scanning near-field photolithography enables the arbitrary fabrication of molecular structures as small as 9 nm (lambda/30). We have developed a parallel near-field lithography device that fuses scanning near-field optical techniques with the 'Millipede' concept of massively parallel serial fabrication: a 'Snomipede'. Two Snomipede designs will be described, one based around the use of a liquid crystal spatial light modulator to direct diffraction-limited spots into an array of sixteen cantilevers with hollow, pyramidal tips, and the other based around the use of a Brewster angle zone plate, coupled to a digital mirror array, to direct the light spots. Their use for nanopatterning will be demonstrated by patterning siloxanes self-assembled monolayers formed from amino siloxanes molecules with a photocleavable protecting group. Structures with line widths of 100 nm have been formed in parallel over regions over 1 mm wide. Resulting structures have been derivatised with initiators for atom transfer radical polymerisation, from which biocompatible brushes have been grown. The potential of the Snomipede for reactive processing at the nanoscale will be demonstrated by fabricating 70 nm structures in photoresist using a probe array submerged under water.