Abstract
Many nano-optical applications require a suitable nanofabrication technology. Hole-mask colloidal nanolithography has proven to be a low-cost and large-area alternative for the fabrication of complex plasmonic nanostructures as well as metamaterials. In this paper, we describe the fabrication process step by step. We manufacture a variety of different plasmonic structures ranging from simple nano-antennas over complex chiral structures to stacked composite materials for applications such as sensing. Additionally, we give details on the control of the nanostructure lateral density which allows for the multilayer-fabrication of complex nanostructures. In two accompanying movies, the fabrication strategy is explained and details are being demonstrated in the lab. The movies can be found at the website of Beilstein TV.
Highlights
Optics with metallic nanostructures has generated keen interest over the last few years
Metamaterials based on metallic split-ring resonators (SRRs) were able to simultaneously demonstrate negative dielectric permittivity as well as magnetic permeability, which leads to a negative refractive index [11]
We demonstrated the flexibility of hole-mask colloidal nanolithography in combination with tilted-angle-rotation evaporation to fabricate large-area complex plasmonic nanostructures of different levels of complexity at low costs
Summary
Optics with metallic nanostructures has generated keen interest over the last few years. SEM imaging is helpful to determine whether the PMMA layer has been etched all the way down and a sufficient number of posts still remains to support the Au evaporation hole-mask If this step was successful, the samples are ready for tilted angle evaporation. In order to realize different plasmonic applications, the density of the disordered drop-coated nanospheres must be well controlled by suitable concentrations of the negatively charged PS nanospheres and the positively charged PDDA solution. We prepare a first layer with a given structure, followed by two more fabrication sequences that consist of a new dilute mask and subsequent pattern evaporation on the same sample. This recipe can be used for fabrication of three-layer structures. We should note that the concentration value of PDDA for the highest pattern density has turned out to be suitable for 220 nm diameter PS spheres, which has an upper density limit for a concentration of about 0.08 wt %
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