Maskless Nanoscale Writing of Nanoparticle-Polymer Composites and Nanoparticle Assemblies using Thermal Nanoprobes

Nanoparticle polymer composites containing metal, semiconductor, magnetic, and optically active nanoparticles were deposited onto multiple substrates from a heatable atomic force microscope tip. The nanoparticle nanostructures were functional as deposited or could be etched with an oxygen plasma, revealing single nanoparticle lithographic resolution. Many types of nanoparticles can be patterned with the same technique, without the need to tailor the substrate chemistry and without solution processing.
Published in Nano Letters, 2009. Prepared in collaboration with University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Sponsored in part by DARPA, by Office of Naval Research (ONR), and by National Science Foundation (NSF).