Microlithography by Using Neutral Metastable Atoms and Self-Assembled Monolayers

• DOI: 10.1126/science.7652572
• Publication Date: 2006-10-27T18:19:42Z
• Authors: Karl K. Berggren; Andreas Bard; James L. Wilbur; John D. Gillaspy; Andreas G. Helg; Jabez J. McClelland; Steven L. Rolston; William D. Phillips; Mara Prentiss; George M. Whitesides
• Keywords: Metastability; Self-assembled monolayer; Penetration (warfare)

Lithography can be performed with beams of neutral atoms in metastable excited states to pattern self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) alkanethiolates on gold. An estimated exposure a SAM dodecanethiolate (DDT) 15 20 argon per DDT molecule damaged the sufficiently allow penetration an aqueous solution ferricyanide surface This etched gold and transformed patterns SAMs into structures gold; these had edge resolution less than 100 nanometers. Regions as large 2 square centimeters were patterned by beam atoms. These observations suggest that this system may useful new forms micro- nanolithography.