Electrophotography as a Means of Nanofabrication: The Role of Electrodynamic and Electrostatic Forces

Abstract

Recently, nanofabrication has become an extensive research topic and, as a consequence, an eminent goal of industry. While at this time nanofabrication technology is, generally speaking, a goal rather than a defined manufacturing process, nanofabrication has been in existence, at least in one area for a considerable time. For example, electrophotography could be considered a nanofabrication process since it produces documents and images by precisely placing large numbers (often exceeding 1010 per 8 ½ × 11 inch page) of micrometer-size pigmented particles, usually referred to as toner particles, in specific sites, whereby each site has a diameter of the order of 20 μm or less, at process speeds that can exceed 75 cm/s. If the toner particles are not precisely placed, the image generated by these particles will lack resolution or sharpness, will exhibit shifts in color balance, will have an increase in grain or background, etc. In order to achieve an accurate placement of the particles onto the receiver, a precise balance of adhesion or electrodynamic forces and electrostatic forces has to be achieved between the toner particles and the chosen substrates during the entire image-forming process. The forces controlling the motion and precise location of the micrometer-size toner particles in the electrophotographic process, as an example of nanofabrication, are described in this paper. We also demonstrate in this paper how nanofabrication can be correlated to an electrophotographic process in a general sense and illustrate this concept with several examples. Finally, the physics and engineering associated with extending this technology into the process of fabricating microscopic components and devices are explored in this paper.