Condensed-Matter Physics & Materials Science Seminar

Contact Electrochemical Replication (CER) is a novel pattern replication methodology advanced in this laboratory that offers the rather unique capability of direct one-step reproduction of monolayer surface patterns consisting of hydrophilic domains surrounded by a hydrophobic monolayer background, regardless of how the initial "master" pattern was created. CER is based on direct electrochemical transfer of information through aqueous electrolyte bridges established between two contacting organosilane monolayers self-assembled on smooth silicon wafer surfaces. Upon the application of a voltage bias between the patterned monolayer playing the role of "stamp" and a "target" monolayer surface, the hydrophilic features of the stamp are copied onto the hydrophobic surface of the target. This electrochemical printing process may be implemented under a variety of experimental configurations conductive to the formation of appropriate electrolyte bridges between stamp and target. As the resulting copy may equally perform as stamp in a subsequent CER step, rapid multiple reproduction of "master" patterns created by serial nanolithographic processes like SPM should also become possible; with other words, CER should allow the unprecedented upgrading of a serial (slow) patterning process to a parallel (fast) one without losing the miniaturization advantage inherent in the serial process.