Abstract
Non-uniformity and low throughput issues severely limit the application of nanoelectrode lithography for large area nanopatterning. This paper proposes, for the first time, a new rolling nanoelectrode lithography approach to overcome these challenges. A test-bed was developed to realize uniform pressure distribution over the whole contact area between the roller and the silicon specimen, so that the local oxidation process occurred uniformly over a large area of the specimen. In this work, a brass roller wrapped with a fabricated polycarbonate strip was used as a stamp to generate nanopatterns on a silicon surface. The experimental results show that a uniform pattern transfer for a large area can be achieved with this new rolling nanoelectrode lithography approach. The rolling speed and the applied bias voltage were identified as the primary control parameters for oxide growth. Furthermore, the pattern direction showed no significant influence on the oxide process. We therefore demonstrated that nanoelectrode lithography can be scaled up for large-area nanofabrication by incorporating a roller stamp.
Highlights
Nanofabrication over large areas paves the way for the commercial applications of nanotechnology [1]
A rolling nanoelectrode lithography approach was proposed for the first time in this paper to fabricate nanostructures on silicon specimens
A uniform pattern transfer for the large area was achieved with this new rolling nanoelectrode lithography (R-NEL) system
Summary
Nanofabrication over large areas paves the way for the commercial applications of nanotechnology [1]. Some emerging and existing methods, such as Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) [4], Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) [5], Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) [6], Directed Self Assembly (DSA) [7] and Scanning Probe Lithography (SPL) [8], have demonstrated excellent potential as promising candidates for future industrial nanofabrication. Electron beam lithography methods have relatively higher resolution, they are limited by low throughput [9]. Extreme ultraviolet lithography, nanoimprint lithography and directed self-assembly techniques are getting closer to industrial requirements [1]. All these technologies are in their development phases and still need further work to overcome some challenges. Overlay, defectivity, tool design and placement accuracy remain the main concerns for NIL and DSA technologies [1,13,14,15]
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