Web Release Date: October 17,
Three-Dimensional Nanofabrication with Elastomeric Phase Masks
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California
Received: May 27, 2007
Abstract:
This Feature Article reviews recent work on an optical technique for fabricating, in a single exposure step, three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures with diverse structural layouts. The approach, which we refer to as proximity field nanopatterning, uses conformable, elastomeric phase masks to pattern thick layers of transparent, photosensitive materials in a conformal contact mode geometry. Aspects of the optics, the materials, and the physical chemistry associated with this method are outlined. A range of 3D structures illustrate its capabilities, and several application examples demonstrate possible areas of use in technologies ranging from microfluidics to photonic materials to density gradient structures for chemical release and high-energy density science.
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