Nanochannel glass replica membranes

• US 6,376,096 B1
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Pearson, Douglas H., Tonucci, Ronald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Suzanne E.
• Application Number:
  US09/398,946
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 428/596, 428/131, 428/137, 428/304.4, 428/315.5, 428/315.9, 428/613, 428/615
• US Class Current: 428/596
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0005 Separation of the coating from the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/20 Masks or mask blanks for imaging by charged particle beam [CPB] radiation, e.g. by electron beam; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/12 Production of screen printing forms or similar printing forms, e.g. stencils
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 264/44 using destructible molds or cores in molding processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12361 having aperture or cut
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12479 Porous [e.g., foamed, spongy, cracked, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12493 Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, joint, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24273 including aperture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249953 Composite having voids in a component [e.g., porous, cellular, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249978 Voids specified as micro
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24998 Composite has more than two layers

Abstract

The present invention is a process for making a nanochannel glass (NCG) replica, having the steps of: coating a face of an etched NCG with a replica material (with or without an intervening buffer layer), where the etched NCG face has a plurality of channels arranged in a desired pattern, to form a replica coating on the NCG conforming to the pattern; and removing the replica coating from the etched NCG. The present invention is also the replica made by this process.

Claims

1. A replica of an etched NCG, comprising:

a membrane,

wherein said membrane is a replica of an etched NCG,

wherein said membrane has at least 10⁶ voids therein,

wherein said voids have submicron widths, and

wherein said voids have preselected positions across a diameter of said membrane.

2. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has at least 10⁷ voids therein.

3. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a patterned area that is at least 1″

across.

4. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a patterned area that is at least 2″

across.

5. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a local packing density of at least 10⁹ feature/cm².

6. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a local packing density of at least 10¹⁰ features/cm².

7. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a minimum feature size of below 200 nm.

8. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a minimum feature size of below 50 nm.

9. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has a minimum feature size of below about 10 nm.

10. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane has global registration of said features.

11. The replica of claim 1, wherein said voids within said membrane have an aspect ratio of less than 1.

12. The replica of claim 1, wherein said aspect ratio is less than 0.05.

13. The replica of claim 1, wherein said aspect ratio is greater than 1.

14. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane substantially comprises a material selected from the group consisting of hard magnetic material soft magnetic materials, non-magnetic materials, antiferromagnetic materials, semiconductor materials, insulating materials, and superconducting materials.

15. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane substantially comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metals, ceramics, organics, semimetals, and glasses.

16. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane substantially comprises a polymer.

17. The replica of claim 1, wherein said membrane is a laminate having a plurality of layers, wherein each of said layers substantially comprises a material selected from the group consisting of hard magnetic materials, soft magnetic materials, nonmagnetic materials, antiferromagnetic materials, semiconductor materials, insulating materials, and superconducting materials.