Fabrication of highly ordered multi-segment line pattern over a large-area

Abstract

We report on the fabrication of well-aligned multi-segment line patterns over large areas featuring dimensional and compositional exquisite tunability using a combination of photolithography and soft-lithography techniques. We show that thus this new top-down approach has great advantages and that it is beneficial by increasing the control of the multi-segment line width and pattern feature dimensions ranging from microns to a few hundred nanometres. Various combinations of multi-segment materials with full control over the periodic alignment, which include Au–Ni, Au–Cu and Au–Ag, were prepared by simply changing the metals evaporated before the lift-off process. Au–Ni multi-segment metal line patterns showed a linear current–voltage response, identical with that of a line pattern from a single material. Thus, one can take advantage of the simple electrical properties of the 1-dimensional nanostructure. Our approach provides great potential in practical fabrication of well-integrated multi-metal component devices for electrical and optical detection.