Hierarchical structure formation and pattern replication induced by an electric field

Mihai D. Morariu, Nicoleta E. Voicu, Erik Schäffer, Zhiqun Lin, Thomas P. Russell, Ullrich Steiner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

250 Scopus citations

Abstract

Several techniques based on soft lithography have emerged to replicate micrometre-sized patterns. Similar to most other lithographic methods, these techniques structure a single layer of photo resist. For many applications, however, it is desirable to control the spatial arrangement of more than one component. With traditional methods, this requires an iterative, multistep procedure, making the replication process more complex and less reliable. Here, a replication process is described where multiple materials are processed simultaneously. Using a bilayer formed by two different polymers, electrohydrodynamic instabilities at both polymer surfaces produce a hierarchic lateral structure that exhibits two independent characteristic dimensions. A lateral modulation of the electric field enables replication with a resolution down to 100 nanometres. This approach might provide a simple strategy for large-area, sub-100-nanometre lithography.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)48-52
Number of pages5
JournalNature Materials
Volume2
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2003

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank B. Maile and eXtreme Lithography for the master patterns. This work was partially funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through the Sonderforschungsbereich 513, by the Dutch Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM), by NASA under contract NAG8-694, and by the National Science Foundation-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR98-09365). Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to T.P.R. or U.S.

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