Near-zero-adhesion-enabled intact wafer-scale resist-transfer printing for high-fidelity nanofabrication on arbitrary substrates

There is an urgent need for novel processes that can integrate different functional nanostructures onto specific substrates,so as to meet the fast-growing need for broad applications in nanoelectronics,nanophotonics,and fexible optoelectronics.Existing direct-lithography methods are difficult to use on fexible,nonplanar,and biocompatible surfaces.Therefore,this fabrication is usually accomplished by nanotransfer printing.However,large-scale integration of multiscale nanostructures with unconventional substrates remains challenging because fabrication yields and quality are often limited by the resolution,uniformity,adhesivity,and integrity of the nanostructures formed by direct transfer.Here,we proposed a resist-based transfer strategy enabled by near-zero adhesion,which was achieved by molecular modification to attain a critical surface energy interval.This approach enabled the intact transfer of wafer-scale,ultrathin-resist nanofilms onto arbitrary substrates with mitigated cracking and wrinkling,thereby facilitating the in situ fabrication of nanostructures for functional devices.Applying this approach,fabrication of three-dimensional-stacked multilayer structures with enhanced functionalities,nanoplasmonic structures with~10 nm resolution,and MoS2-based devices with excellent performance was demonstrated on specific substrates.These results collectively demonstrated the high stability,reliability,and throughput of our strategy for optical and electronic device applications.

Friction-Induced Nanofabrication: A Review

As the bridge between basic principles and applications of nanotechnology,nanofabrication methods play significant role in supporting the development of nanoscale science and engineering,which is changing and improving the production and lifestyle of the human.Photo lithography and other alternative technologies,such as nanoimprinting,electron beam lithography,focused ion beam cutting,and scanning probe lithography,have brought great progress of semiconductor industry,IC manufacturing and micro/nanoelectromechanical system(MEMS/NEMS)devices.However,there remains a lot of challenges,relating to the resolution,cost,speed,and so on,in realizing high-quality products with further development of nanotechnology.None of the existing techniques can satisfy all the needs in nanoscience and nanotechnology at the same time,and it is essential to explore new nanofabrication methods.As a newly developed scanning probe microscope(SPM)-based lithography,friction-induced nanofabrication provides opportunities for maskless,flexible,low-damage,low-cost and environment-friendly processing on a wide variety of materials,including silicon,quartz,glass surfaces,and so on.It has been proved that this fabrication route provides with a broad application prospect in the fabrication of nanoimprint templates,microfluidic devices,and micro/nano optical structures.This paper hereby involved the principals and operations of friction-induced nanofabrication,including friction-induced selective etching,and the applications were reviewed as well for looking ahead at opportunities and challenges with nanotechnology development.The present review will not only enrich the knowledge in nanotribology,but also plays a positive role in promoting SPM-based nanofabrication.

Nanoimprint Lithography:A Processing Technique for Nanofabrication Advancement

Nanoimprint lithography(NIL) is an emerging micro/nano-patterning technique,which is a high-resolution,high-throughput and yet simple fabrication process.According to International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor(ITRS),NIL has emerged as the next generation lithography candidate for the22 nm and 16 nm technological nodes.In this paper,we present an overview of nanoimprint lithography.The classfication,research focus,critical issues,and the future of nanoimprint lithography are intensively elaborated.A pattern as small as 2.4 nm has been demonstrated.Full-wafer nanoimprint lithography has been completed on a 12-inch wafer.Recently,12.5 nm pattern resolution through soft molecular scale nanoimprint lithography has been achieved by EV Group,a leading nanoimprint lithography technology supplier.

Helium-ion-beam nanofabrication: extreme processes and applications

Helium ion beam(HIB)technology plays an important role in the extreme fields of nanofabrication.This paper reviews the latest developments in HIB technology as well as its extreme processing capabilities and widespread applications in nanofabrication.HIB-based nanofabrication includes direct-write milling,ion beam-induced deposition,and direct-write lithography without resist assistance.HIB nanoscale applications have also been evaluated in the areas of integrated circuits,materials sciences,nano-optics,and biological sciences.This review covers four thematic applications of HIB:(1)helium ion microscopy imaging for biological samples and semiconductors;(2)HIB milling and swelling for 2D/3D nanopore fabrication;(3)HIB-induced deposition for nanopillars,nanowires,and 3D nanostructures;(4)additional HIB direct writing for resist,graphene,and plasmonic nanostructures.This paper concludes with a summary of potential future applications and areas of improvement for HIB extreme nanofabrication technology.

Research on Nanofabrication Technology of Micro-/Nano-Stereo Rapid Prototyping of PCVD

At present, the most common micro/nano-scale fabri ca tion processes include the plane silicon process based on IC technology, stereo silicon process, LIGA, quasi-LIGA based on near ultra violet deep lithography, MEMS, energy beam etching and micro/nano-machining, etc. A common problem for t hese processes is the difficulty to fabricate arbitrary form for 3-dimensional micro/nano-parts, devices or mechanisms. To develop advanced MEMS manufacturin g technology, and to achieve fabrication of true 3-dimensional parts, devices or mechanisms, this paper proposes a nanofabrication technology for rapid proto typing of 3-dimensional parts, using plasma chemical vapor deposition (PCVD). This process can be describes as follows: A laser beam is produced by a low power, quasi molecule laser. It enters the vac uum chamber through a window, and is focused on with the substrate surface. A ga s in the chamber is ionized by the laser beam to produce PCVD on the substrate s urface, and forms a particle of the size of Ф100 nm (its thickness is about 100 nm). When the laser beam moves along X-axis, many particles form a line. Then the laser beam moves one step in Y-axis to form a new line. A plane is complete d by many lines. Then the substrate moves in Z-axis to form new plane. Eventu ally, many planes form a 3-dimensional component. Using available CAD/CAM softw are with this process, rapid prototyping of complex components can be achieved. A nanometer precision linear motor, such as that described in Chinese national p atent (patent No. ZL 98 2 16753.9), can be used to obtain the nanometer precisio n movements in the process. The process does not require mask, can be used for v arious rapid prototyping materials, to obtain high fabrication precision (its sc ale precision is 15 nm), and larger ratio of height to width of micro/nano-stru cture. It can find widespread applications in the fabrication of micro-mechani sm, trimming IC, and fabricating minilens, etc.

Influence of Film Thickness on Nanofabrication of Graphene Oxide

Nanofabrication of two-dimensional materials through mechanical machining is normally influenced by not only process parameters such as load and velocity but also intrinsic properties such as strength and thickness.Herein,we examined the effects of graphene oxide(GO)film thickness on nanofabrication on the plane surfaces and at the step edges using scanning probe microscope lithography.The material removal of GO initiates at the load above a critical value,which strongly depends on film thickness and locations.With the increase in film thickness,the critical load decreases monotonically on the plane surfaces but increases gradually at the step edges.Further,the critical load for the GO monolayer at the step edges is at least 25 times lower than that on the plane surfaces,and the gap decreases to around 3 times when GO thickness increases to four layers.Then,mechanical nanofabrication initiating from the GO step edge allows producing various nanopatterns under extremely low loads around 1 nN.Finally,the GO nanostructures are deoxidized by annealing at 800°C in high-purity argon to restore their highly functionalized conjugated structures,which are supported by X-ray diffraction and Raman characterizations.This work provides a novel approach to fabricating graphene-like nanostructures by deoxidizing GO after nanofabrication,which holds significant potential for applications in graphene-based devices.

Ice lithography for 3D nanofabrication

Nanotechnology and nanoscience are enabled by nanofabrication. Electron-beam lithography, which makes 2 D patterns down to a few nanometers, is one of the fundamental pillars of nanofabrication.Recently, significant progress in 3 D electron-beam-based nanofabrication has been made, such as the emerging ice lithography technology, in which ice thin-films are patterned by a focused electronbeam. Here, we review the history and progress of ice lithography, and focus on its applications in efficient 3 D nanofabrication and additive manufacturing or nanoscale 3 D printing. The finest linewidth made using frozen octane is below 5 nm, and nanostructures can be fabricated in selected areas on non-planar surfaces such as freely suspended nanotubes or nanowires. As developing custom instruments is required to advance this emerging technology, we discuss the evolution of ice lithography instruments and highlight major instrumentation advances. Finally, we present the perspectives of 3 D printing of functional materials using organic ices. We believe that we barely scratched the surface of this new and exciting research area, and we hope that this review will stimulate cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research that exploits the undiscovered potentials of ice lithography for 3 D photonics, electronics and 3 D nanodevices for biology and medicine.

Simultaneous additive and subtractive three-dimensional nanofabrication using integrated two-photon polymerization and multiphoton ablation

Modern three-dimensional nanofabrication requires both additive and subtractive processes.However,both processes are largely isolated and generally regarded as incompatible with each other.In this study,we developed simultaneous additive and subtractive fabrication processes using two-photon polymerization followed by femtosecond(fs)laser multiphoton ablation.To demonstrate the new capability,submicrometer polymer fibers containing periodic holes of 500-nm diameter and microfluidic channels of 1-mm diameter were successfully fabricated.This method combining both two-photon polymerization and fs laser ablation improves the nanofabrication efficiency and enables the fabrication of complex three-dimensional micro-/nanostructures,promising for a wide range of applications in integrated optics,microfluidics and microelectromechanical systems.

Laser-based micro/nanofabrication in one, two and three dimensions

Advanced micro/nanofabrication of functional materials and structures with various dimensions represents a key research topic in modem nanoscience and technology and becomes critically important for numerous emerging technologies such as nanoelectronics, nanopho- tonics and micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. This review systematically explores the non-conventional material processing approaches in fabricating nanomaterials and micro/nanostructures of various dimensions which are challenging to be fabricated via conventional approaches. Research efforts are focused on laser-based techniques for the growth and fabrication of one-dimensional （1D）, two-dimensional （2D） and three-dimensional （3D） nanomaterials and micro/nanostructures. The following research topics are covered, including： 1） laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition （CVD） for highly efficient growth and integration of 1D nanomaterial of carbon nanotubes （CNTs）, 2） laser direct writing （LDW） of graphene ribbons under ambient conditions, and 3） LDW of 3D micro/nanostructures via additive and subtractive processes. Comparing with the conventional fabrication methods, the laser-based methods exhibit several unique advantages in the micro/nanofabrication of advanced functional materials and structures. For the 1D CNT growth, the laser-assisted CVD process can realize both rapid material synthesis and tight control of growth location and orientation of CNTs due to the highly intense energy delivery and laser-induced optical near-field effects. For the 2D graphene synthesis and patterning, roomtemperature and open-air fabrication of large-scale graphene patterns on dielectric surface has been successfully realized by a LDW process. For the 3D micro/nanofabrica- tion, the combination of additive two-photon polymeriza- tion （TPP） and subtractive multi-photon ablation （MPA） processes enables the fabrication of arbitrary complex 3D micro/nanostructures which tional fabrication methods are challenging for conven- Considering the numerous unique advantages of laser-based techniques, the laser- based micro/nanofabrication is expected to play a more and more important role in the fabrication of advanced functional micro/nano-devices.

Advances in diamond nanofabrication for ultrasensitive devices

This paper reviews some of the major recent advances in single-crystal diamond nanofabrication and its impact in nano-and micromechanical,nanophotonics and optomechanical components.These constituents of integrated devices incorporating specific dopants in the material provide the capacity to enhance the sensitivity in detecting mass and forces as well as magnetic field down to quantum mechanical limits and will lead pioneering innovations in ultrasensitive sensing and precision measurements in the realm of the medical sciences,quantum sciences and related technologies.

Tip-and Laser-based 3D Nanofabrication in Extended Macroscopic Working Areas

The field of optical lithography is subject to intense research and has gained enormous improvement.However,the effort necessary for creating structures at the size of 20 nm and below is considerable using conventional technologies.This effort and the resulting financial requirements can only be tackled by few global companies and thus a paradigm change for the semiconductor industry is conceivable:custom design and solutions for specific applications will dominate future development(Fritze in:Panning EM,Liddle JA(eds)Novel patterning technologies.International society for optics and photonics.SPIE,Bellingham,2021.https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2593229).For this reason,new aspects arise for future lithography,which is why enormous effort has been directed to the development of alternative fabrication technologies.Yet,the technologies emerging from this process,which are promising for coping with the current resolution and accuracy challenges,are only demonstrated as a proof-of-concept on a lab scale of several square micrometers.Such scale is not adequate for the requirements of modern lithography;therefore,there is the need for new and alternative cross-scale solutions to further advance the possibilities of unconventional nanotechnologies.Similar challenges arise because of the technical progress in various other fields,realizing new and unique functionalities based on nanoscale effects,e.g.,in nanophotonics,quantum computing,energy harvesting,and life sciences.Experimental platforms for basic research in the field of scale-spanning nanomeasuring and nanofabrication are necessary for these tasks,which are available at the Technische Universitiit Ilmenau in the form of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring(NPM)machines.With this equipment,the limits of technical structurability are explored for high-performance tip-based and laser-based processes for enabling real 3D nanofabrication with the highest precision in an adequate working range of several thousand cubic millimeters.

A beam flexure-based nanopositioning stage supporting laser direct-write nanofabrication

A nanopositioning system of both millimetric stroke and nanometric tracking accuracy is a key component for nanofabrication in many applications. In this paper, a novel bi-axial beam-flexure nano servo stage is proposed to support a direct writing system for femtosecond laser nanofabrication. The important features of the stage lie in: a mirror symmetric instead of rotational symmetric configuration is adopted to restrict cross axis coupling, and a novel Z-shaped guidance module is proposed to achieve relative large linear stiffness range, in addition a redundant constraints module is introduced to increase off-axis stiffness of the stage. Mechanical analysis and system identification are provided, with which a feedback control algorithm demonstrates the tracking capability for laser fabrication purposes. Based on the fabricated XY nano-stage, real time control and measurements are deployed, demonstrating the millimetric operating workspace and 77.8 nm(RMS) error of tracking a circular trajectory.

Fabrication and integration of photonic devices for phase-change memory and neuromorphic computing

In the past decade,there has been tremendous progress in integrating chalcogenide phase-change materials(PCMs)on the silicon photonic platform for non-volatile memory to neuromorphic in-memory computing applications.In particular,these non von Neumann computational elements and systems benefit from mass manufacturing of silicon photonic integrated circuits(PICs)on 8-inch wafers using a 130 nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor line.Chip manufacturing based on deep-ultraviolet lithography and electron-beam lithography enables rapid prototyping of PICs,which can be integrated with high-quality PCMs based on the wafer-scale sputtering technique as a back-end-of-line process.In this article,we present an overview of recent advances in waveguide integrated PCM memory cells,functional devices,and neuromorphic systems,with an emphasis on fabrication and integration processes to attain state-of-the-art device performance.After a short overview of PCM based photonic devices,we discuss the materials properties of the functional layer as well as the progress on the light guiding layer,namely,the silicon and germanium waveguide platforms.Next,we discuss the cleanroom fabrication flow of waveguide devices integrated with thin films and nanowires,silicon waveguides and plasmonic microheaters for the electrothermal switching of PCMs and mixed-mode operation.Finally,the fabrication of photonic and photonic–electronic neuromorphic computing systems is reviewed.These systems consist of arrays of PCM memory elements for associative learning,matrix-vector multiplication,and pattern recognition.With large-scale integration,the neuromorphic photonic computing paradigm holds the promise to outperform digital electronic accelerators by taking the advantages of ultra-high bandwidth,high speed,and energy-efficient operation in running machine learning algorithms.

Fabrication of Sub-20nm Metal Nanogaps from Nanoconnections by the Extended Proximity Effect

We describe the fabrication of metal nanogaps of sub-20nm in feature size using the proximity effect in electron beam lithography （EBL）. The proximity effect is extended to develop a flexible and practical method for preparing metal （e. g. Au or Ag） nanogaps and arrays in combination with a transfer process （e. g., deposition/lift-off）. Different from the direct gap-writing process,the nanogap precursor structures （nanoconnections） were designed by GDSII software and then written by electron beam. Following a deposition and lift-off process, the metal nanogaps were obtained and the nanogap size can be lowered to -10nm by controlling the exposure dose in EBL.

Nonlinear frequency conversion in optical nanoantennas and metasurfaces:materials evolution and fabrication

Nonlinear frequency conversion is one of the most fundamental processes in nonlinear optics.It has a wide range of applications in our daily lives,including novel light sources,sensing,and information processing.It is usually assumed that nonlinear frequency conversion requires large crystals that gradually accumulate a strong effect.However,the large size of nonlinear crystals is not compatible with the miniaturisation of modern photonic and optoelectronic systems.Therefore,shrinking the nonlinear structures down to the nanoscale,while keeping favourable conversion efficiencies,is of great importance for future photonics applications.In the last decade,researchers have studied the strategies for enhancing the nonlinear efficiencies at the nanoscale,e.g.by employing different nonlinear materials,resonant couplings and hybridization techniques.In this paper,we provide a compact review of the nanomaterials-based efforts,ranging from metal to dielectric and semiconductor nanostructures,including their relevant nanofabrication techniques.

Fabrication and Applications of Micro/Nanostructured Devices for Tissue Engineering

Nanotechnology allows the realization of new materials and devices with basic structural unit in the range of1–100 nm and characterized by gaining control at the atomic, molecular, and supramolecular level. Reducing the dimensions of a material into the nanoscale range usually results in the change of its physiochemical properties such as reactivity,crystallinity, and solubility. This review treats the convergence of last research news at the interface of nanostructured biomaterials and tissue engineering for emerging biomedical technologies such as scaffolding and tissue regeneration. The present review is organized into three main sections. The introduction concerns an overview of the increasing utility of nanostructured materials in the field of tissue engineering. It elucidates how nanotechnology, by working in the submicron length scale, assures the realization of a biocompatible interface that is able to reproduce the physiological cell–matrix interaction. The second, more technical section, concerns the design and fabrication of biocompatible surface characterized by micro- and submicroscale features, using microfabrication, nanolithography, and miscellaneous nanolithographic techniques.In the last part, we review the ongoing tissue engineering application of nanostructured materials and scaffolds in different fields such as neurology, cardiology, orthopedics, and skin tissue regeneration.

Precision integration of grating-based polarizers onto focal plane arrays of near-infrared photovoltaic detectors for enhanced contrast polarimetric imaging

Polarimetric imaging enhances the ability to distinguish objects from a bright background by detecting their particular polarization status,which offers another degree of freedom in infrared remote sensing.However,to scale up by monolithically integrating grating-based polarizers onto a focal plane array(FPA)of infrared detectors,fundamental technical obstacles must be overcome,including reductions of the extinction ratio by the misalignment between the polarizer and the detector,grating line width fluctuations,the line edge roughness,etc.This paper reports the authors’latest achievements in overcoming those problems by solving key technical issues regarding the integration of large-scale polarizers onto the chips of FPAs with individual indium gallium arsenide/indium phosphide(In Ga As/In P)sensors as the basic building blocks.Polarimetric and photovoltaic chips with divisions of the focal plane of 540×4 pixels and 320×256 superpixels have been successfully manufactured.Polarimetric imaging with enhanced contrast has been demonstrated.The progress made in this work has opened up a broad avenue toward industrialization of high quality polarimetric imaging in infrared wavelengths.

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers for sub-10 nm fabrication

Directed self-assembly(DSA)emerges as one of the most promising new patterning techniques for single digit miniaturization and next generation lithography.DSA achieves high-resolution patterning by molecular assembly that circumvents the diffraction limit of conventional photolithography.Recently,the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems listed DSA as one of the advanced lithography techniques for the fabrication of 3-5 nm technology node devices.DSA can be combined with other lithography techniques,such as extreme ultra violet(EUV)and 193 nm immersion(193i),to further enhance the patterning resolution and the device density.So far,DSA has demonstrated its superior ability for the fabrication of nanoscale devices,such as fin field effect transistor and bit pattern media,offering a variety of configurations for high-density integration and low-cost manufacturing.Over 1 T in-2 device density can be achieved either by direct templating or coupled with nanoimprinting to improve the throughput.The development of high x block copolymer further enhances the patterning resolution of DSA.In addition to its superiority in high-resolution patterning,the implementation ofDSA on a 300 mm pivot line fully demonstrates its potential for large-scale,high-throughput,and cost-effective manufacturing in industrial environment.

Precise assembly and joining of silver nanowires in three dimensions for highly conductive composite structures

Three-dimensional(3D)electrically conductive micro/nanostructures are now a key component in a broad range of research and industry fields.In this work,a novel method is developed to realize metallic 3D micro/nanostructures with silver-thiol-acrylate composites via two-photon polymerization followed by femtosecond laser nanojoining.Complex 3D micro/nanoscale conductive structures have been successfully fabricated with∼200 nm resolution.The loading of silver nanowires(AgNWs)and joining of junctions successfully enhance the electrical conductivity of the composites from insulating to 92.9 Sm^−1 at room temperature.Moreover,for the first time,a reversible switching to a higher conductivity is observed,up to∼10^5Sm^−1 at 523 K.The temperature-dependent conductivity of the composite is analyzed following the variable range hopping and thermal activation models.The nanomaterial assembly and joining method demonstrated in this study pave a way towards a wide range of device applications,including 3D electronics,sensors,memristors,micro/nanoelectromechanical systems,and biomedical devices,etc.

Fabrication of Y-junction Metal Nanowires by AAO Template-assisted AC Electrodeposition

In this communication,we report a synthetic approach to fabricate Y-junction Co nanowires and Y-junction Cu nanowires by AC electrodeposition using a hierarchically designed anodized aluminum oxide template.Morphology study showe that diameters of the stems and branches of the Y-junction nanowires were about 40 nm and 20 nm respectively.Structural analysis indicates that Co nanowires had a mixture of face-center-cubic and hexagonal-close-packed structures,whereas Cu nanowires had a face-center-cubic structure with a <110> texture.The Y-junction Co nanowires exhibited a longitudinal coercivity of 1300 Oe and remnant magnetization of 56%,which was affected by the growth direction and microstructure.The present method can be extended to other metallic systems and thus provides a simple and efficient way to fabricate Y-junction metal nanowires.