Ten-nanometer dense hole arrays generated by nanoparticle lithography

Sub-5 nm Anisotropic Pattern Transfer via Colloidal Lithography of a Self-Assembled GdF3 Nanocrystal Monolayer

Patterning materials with nanoscale features opens many research opportunities ranging from fundamental science to technological applications. However, current nanofabrication methods are ill-suited for sub-5 nm patterning and pattern transfer. We demonstrate the use of colloidal lithography to transfer an anisotropic pattern of discrete features into substrates with a critical dimension below 5 nm. The assembly of monodisperse, anisotropic nanocrystals (NCs) with a rhombic-plate morphology spaced by dendrimer ligands results in a well-ordered monolayer that serves as a 2D anisotropic hard mask pattern. This pattern is transferred into the underlying substrate using dry etching followed by removal of the NC mask. We exemplify this approach by fabricating an array of pillars with a rhombic cross-section and edge-to-edge spacing of 4.4 ± 1.1 nm. The fabrication approach enables broader access to patterning materials at the deep nanoscale by implementing innovative processes into well-established fabrication methods while minimizing process complexity.

An Accessible Integrated Nanoparticle in a Metallic Hole Structure for Efficient Plasmonic Applications

Addressing the severe deterioration of gap mode properties in spherical-shaped nanoparticles (NPs) becomes necessary due to their utilization in a wide range of multi-disciplinary applications. In this work, we report an integrated plasmonic nanostructure based on a spherical-shaped nanoparticle (NP) in a metallic hole as an alternative to a NP-only structure. With the help of three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic simulations, we reveal that when a NP is positioned on the top of a metallic hole, it can exhibit superior gap-mode-based local-field intensity enhancement. The integrated nanostructure displayed a ~22-times increase in near-field enhancement characteristics, similar to cube- or disk-shaped nanostructure’s plasmonic properties. From an experimental perspective, the NP positioning on top of the metallic hole can be realized more easily, facilitating a simple fabrication meriting our design approach. In addition to the above advantages, a good geometrical tolerance (metallic hole-gap size error of ~20 nm) supported by gap mode characteristics enhances flexibility in fabrication. These combined advantages from an integrated plasmonic nanostructure can resolve spherical-shaped NP disadvantages as an individual nanostructure and enhance its utilization in multi-disciplinary applications.

Ultrathin Porous Hydrocarbon Membranes Templated by Nanoparticle Assemblies

Porous polymer membranes are widely desired as catalyst supports, sensors, and active layers for separation membranes. We demonstrate that electron beam irradiation of freely suspended gold or Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle (NP) monolayer sheets followed by wet chemical etching is a high-fidelity strategy to template two-dimensional (2D) porous cross-linked hydrocarbon membranes. This approach, which relies on secondary electrons generated by the NP cores, can further be used to transform three-dimensional (3D) terraced gold NP supercrystals into 3D porous hydrocarbon membranes. We utilize electron tomography to show how the number of NP layers (monolayer to pentalayer) controls attenuation and scattering of the primary e-beam, which in turn determines ligand cross-link density and 3D pore structure. Electron tomography also reveals that many nanopores are vertically continuous because of preferential sintering of NPs. This work demonstrates new routes for the construction of functional nanoporous media.

Monolayer Arrays of Nanoparticles on Block Copolymer Brush Films

Two-dimensional arrays of nanoparticles (NPs) have widespread applications in optical coatings, plasmonic sensors, and nanocomposites. Current bottom-up approaches that use homogeneous NP templates, such as silane self-assembled monolayers or homopolymers, are typically plagued by NP aggregation, whereas patterned block copolymer (BCP) films require specific compositions for specific NP distributions. Here, we show, using polystyrene- b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS- b-P4VP) and gold NPs (AuNPs) of various sizes, that a nanothin PS- b-P4VP brushlike coating (comprised of a P4VP wetting layer and a PS overlayer), which is adsorbed onto flat substrates during their immersion in very dilute PS- b-P4VP tetrahydrofuran solutions, provides an excellent template for obtaining dense and well-dispersed AuNPs with little aggregation. These non-close-packed arrays have similar characteristics regardless of immersion time in solution (about 10-120 s studied), solution concentration below a critical value (0.1 and 0.05 mg/mL studied), and AuNP diameter (10-90 nm studied). Very dilute BCP solutions are necessary to avoid deposition, during substrate withdrawal, of additional material onto the adsorbed BCP layer, which typically leads to patterned surfaces. The PS brush coverage depends on immersion time (adsorption kinetics), but full coverage does not inhibit AuNP adsorption, which is attributed to PS molecular rearrangement during exposure to the aqueous AuNP colloidal solution. The simplicity, versatility and robustness of the method will enable applications in materials science requiring dense, unaggregated NP arrays.

Highly Tunable Complementary Micro/Submicro-Nanopatterned Surfaces Combining Block Copolymer Self-Assembly and Colloidal Lithography

Two kinds of large-area ordered and highly tunable micro/submicro-nanopatterned surfaces in a complementary manner were successfully fabricated by elaborately combining block copolymer self-assembly and colloidal lithography. Employing a monolayer of polystyrene (PS) colloidal spheres assembled on top as etching mask, polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) or polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) micelle films were patterned into micro/submicro patches by plasma etching, which could be further transferred into micropatterned metal nanoarrays by subsequent metal precursor loading and a second plasma etching. On the other hand, micro/submicro-nanopatterns in a complementary manner were generated via preloading a metal precursor in initial micelle films before the assembly of PS colloidal spheres on top. Both kinds of micro/submicro-nanopatterns showed good fidelity at the micro/submicroscale and nanoscale; meanwhile, they could be flexibly tuned by the sample and processing parameters. Significantly, when the PS colloidal sphere size was reduced to 250 nm, a high-resolution submicro-nanostructured surface with 3-5 metal nanoparticles in each patch or a single-nanoparticle interconnected honeycomb network was achieved. Moreover, by applying gold (Au) nanoparticles as anchoring points, micronanopatterned Au arrays can serve as a flexible template to pattern bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules. This facile and cost-effective approach may provide a novel platform for fabrication of micropatterned nanoarrays with high tunability and controllability, which are promising in the applications of biological and microelectronic fields.

Magnetic Nanoparticles: Material Engineering and Emerging Applications in Lithography and Biomedicine

We present an interdisciplinary overview of material engineering and emerging applications of iron oxide nanoparticles. We discuss material engineering of nanoparticles in the broadest sense, emphasizing size and shape control, large-area self-assembly, composite/hybrid structures, and surface engineering. This is followed by a discussion of several non-traditional, emerging applications of iron oxide nanoparticles, including nanoparticle lithography, magnetic particle imaging, magnetic guided drug delivery, and positive contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. We conclude with a succinct discussion of the pharmacokinetics pathways of iron oxide nanoparticles in the human body -- an important and required practical consideration for any in vivo biomedical application, followed by a brief outlook of the field.

Evolution of Self-Assembled Au NPs by Controlling Annealing Temperature and Dwelling Time on Sapphire (0001)

Au nanoparticles (NPs) have been utilized in a wide range of device applications as well as catalysts for the fabrication of nanopores and nanowires, in which the performance of the associated devices and morphology of nanopores and nanowires are strongly dependent on the size, density, and configuration of the Au NPs. In this paper, the evolution of the self-assembled Au nanostructures and NPs on sapphire (0001) is systematically investigated with the variation of annealing temperature (AT) and dwelling time (DT). At the low-temperature range between 300 and 600 °C, three distinct regimes of the Au nanostructure configuration are observed, i.e., the vermiform-like Au piles, irregular Au nano-mounds, and Au islands. Subsequently, being provided with relatively high thermal energy between 700 and 900 °C, the round dome-shaped Au NPs are fabricated based on the Volmer-Weber growth model. With the increased AT, the size of the Au NPs is gradually increased due to a more favorable surface diffusion while the density is gradually decreased as a compensation. On the other hand, with the increased DT, the size and density of Au NPs decrease due to the evaporation of Au at relatively high annealing temperature at 950 °C.

Selectable Nanopattern Arrays for Nanolithographic Imprint and Etch-Mask Applications

A parallel nanolithographic patterning method is presented that can be used to obtain arrays of multifunctional nanoparticles. These patterns can simply be converted into a variety of secondary nanopatterns that are useful for nanolithographic imprint, plasmonic, and etch-mask applications.

Magnetic nanoparticle assembly arrays prepared by hierarchical self-assembly on a patterned surface

Inverted pyramid hole arrays were fabricated by photolithography and used as templates to direct the growth of colloidal nanoparticle assemblies. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles deposit in the holes to yield high quality pyramid magnetic nanoparticle assembly arrays by carefully controlling the evaporation of the carrier fluid. Magnetic measurements indicate that the pyramid magnetic nanoparticle assembly arrays preferentially magnetize perpendicular to the substrate.

Bessel-like photonic nanojets from core-shell sub-wavelength spheres

It is accepted so far that the formation of photonic nanojets requires the use of large dielectric spheres (several wavelengths in diameter). Here we show both numerically and experimentally that similar effects can be obtained with properly engineered sub-wavelength core-shell colloids. The design of the spheres is strongly inspired by a far-field approach for the generation of Bessel beams.

Novel scheme for producing nanoscale uniform grains based on templated two-phase growth

Future magnetic recording media require firm control of the microstructure particularly with uniform grain size at the nanometer scale. Using self-assembling block copolymers as an etch-mask, a novel underlayer is patterned with a carefully designed surface morphology. Two-phase growth with magnetic grains encircled by an oxide phase is guided by the templated underlayer to create high-coercivity magnetic media with uniform grain size at the nanoscale.

Wafer-scale synthesis of monodisperse synthetic magnetic multilayer nanorods

A double exposure technique has been used to fabricate nanoimprint stamps for making monodisperse nanorods with controllable lengths. The nanorod length is defined by a normal photolithography projection process whereas the nanorod width is defined by an edge-lithography process using a soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) contact mask. Taking advantage of edge-lithography, the nanorod width can be less than the diffraction limit of the exposure light. Using these nanorod stamps, synthetic magnetic multilayer (SMM) nanorods have been fabricated using nanoimprint lithography, resulting in a length variation of ∼3%. Nanorod magnetic properties have been characterized in both longitudinal and in-plane transverse directions of the nanorods. A theoretical model has been established to explain the magnetic responses and has revealed that both shape anisotropy and interlayer interactions are important in determining the properties of SMM nanorods.

A generalized diffusion model for growth of nanoparticles synthesized by colloidal methods

A nanoparticle growth model is developed to predict and guide the syntheses of monodisperse colloidal nanoparticles in the liquid phase. The model, without any a priori assumptions, is based on the Fick's law of diffusion, conservation of mass and the Gibbs-Thomson equation for crystal growth. In the limiting case, this model reduces to the same expression as the currently accepted model that requires the assumption of a diffusion layer around each nanoparticle. The present growth model bridges the two limiting cases of the previous model i.e. complete diffusion controlled and adsorption controlled growth of nanoparticles. Specifically, the results show that a monodispersion of nanoparticles can be obtained both with fast monomer diffusion and with surface reaction under conditions of small diffusivity to surface reaction constant ratio that results is growth 'focusing'. This comprehensive description of nanoparticle growth provides new insights and establishes the required conditions for fabricating monodisperse nanoparticles critical for a wide range of applications.