Abstract
Scanning probe microscopy has enabled the creation of a variety of methods for the constructive ('additive') top-down fabrication of nanometer-scale features. Historically, a major drawback of scanning probe lithography has been the intrinsically low throughput of single probe systems. This has been tackled by the use of arrays of multiple probes to enable increased nanolithography throughput. In order to implement such parallelized nanolithography, the accurate alignment of probe arrays with the substrate surface is vital, so that all probes make contact with the surface simultaneously when lithographic patterning begins. This protocol describes the utilization of polymer pen lithography to produce nanometer-scale features over centimeter-sized areas, facilitated by the use of an algorithm for the rapid, accurate, and automated alignment of probe arrays. Here, nanolithography of thiols on gold substrates demonstrates the generation of features with high uniformity. These patterns are then functionalized with fibronectin for use in the context of surface-directed cell morphology studies.
Highlights
Progress in nanotechnology is dependent on the development of techniques capable of efficiently and reliably fabricating nanoscale features on surfaces.[1,2] generating such features over large areas reliably and at relatively low cost is a non-trivial endeavor
Substrates bearing these large area nanopatterns can be further elaborated for a variety www.jove.com of applications
One major application of this technology is in the generation of nanofabricated surfaces for cell-surface interaction studies
Summary
Progress in nanotechnology is dependent on the development of techniques capable of efficiently and reliably fabricating nanoscale features on surfaces.[1,2] generating such features over large areas (multiple cm2) reliably and at relatively low cost is a non-trivial endeavor. The invention of polymer pen lithography (PPL) addressed this issue by replacing the standard SPM cantilevers with a 2D array of soft siloxane elastomer probes bonded to a glass slide.[10] This simple probe setup significantly decreases the cost and complexity of patterning large areas, opening up nanolithography to a wider range of applications. We detail the detection of force using multiple force sensors as the means of determining probe-surface contact, together with an algorithm that automates the iterative alignment process Subsequent functionalization of these patterns with the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin and the culture of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are described, as a demonstration of PPL-fabricated surfaces applied for cell culture
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