Rapid fabrication of micron‐sized CVD‐diamond structures by microfluidic contact printing

Abstract

In this contribution we report on a novel method for the growth of laterally patterned synthetic diamond films with submicron feature sizes. The lateral patterning is induced by depositing a nanodiamond‐based seeding layer prior to the chemical vapor deposition of the diamond films. The seeding layer is prepared by a microfluidic approach, based on soft lithography with PDMS moulds, used in the microcontact printing. These moulds are prepared by electron‐beam lithography of photoresist on silicon substrates. The master moulds are reusable, allowing for cheap, high‐throughput manufacturing, and the resulting diamond microstructures exhibit an outstanding smoothness and structural reproducibility. Possible applications are expected in the fields of diamond electronics, micro‐electro‐mechanical systems (MEMS) as well as bio‐ and chemosensors. The abstract figure shows the SU‐8 master mould (left). The resulting diamond structure (right) is shown, after chemical vapor deposition. The purple color originates from the settings of the optical microscope, used to get a high‐contrast image.