Method of making a nanostructure

• US 8,634,146 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: David, Moses M., Yu, Ta-Hua, Hartzell, Andrew K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spector, David N
• Application Number:
  US13/636,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20130038949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.34, 359/742, 428/156, 977/888
• US Class Current: 359/742
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2059/023 Microembossing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 59/14 by plasma treatment plasma tubes per se H01J
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/118 having sub-optical wavelength surface structures designed to provide an enhanced transmittance, e.g. moth-eye structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24479 including variation in thickness

Abstract

A method of making a nanostructure is provided that includes applying a thin, random discontinuous masking layer (105) to a major surface (103) of a substrate (101) by plasma chemical vapor deposition. The substrate (101) can be a polymer, an inorganic material, an alloy, or a solid solution. The masking layer (105) can include the reaction product of plasma chemical vapor deposition using a reactant gas comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of organosilicon compounds, metal alkyls, metal isopropoxides, metal acetylacetonates, and metal halides. Portions (107) of the substrate (101) not protected by the masking layer (105) are then etched away by reactive ion etching to make the nanostructures.

Claims

1. A method of making a nanostructure, comprising:

providing a substrate;

applying a thin, random, discontinuous masking layer to a major surface of the substrate by plasma chemical vapor deposition; and

etching portions of the major surface not protected by the masking layer to form a nanostructure on the substrate by reactive ion etching.

2. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 1, wherein the reactive ion etching comprises using a gas selected from oxygen, fluorocarbons, nitrogen trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride, chlorine, hydrochloric acid, methane, and combinations thereof.

3. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 1, performed in a substantially continuous manner.

4. An article made from the method according to claim 1.

5. An article according to claim 4 having an average surface reflectance of less than about 2% from 450 to 650 nm.

6. An article according to claim 4 comprising a Fresnel lens.

7. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises polymeric material, an inorganic material, an alloy, or a solid solution.

8. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 7, wherein the polymer comprises poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethylene terephthalate), polycarbonate, triacetate cellulose, cyclic olefin copolymers, nylon, polyimide, fluoropolymers, polyolefins, polysiloxane, siloxane copolymers, or polyurethane.

9. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 7, wherein the substrate comprises a transparent polymer.

10. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 1, wherein the masking layer is the reaction product of plasma chemical vapor deposition using a reactant gas comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of organosilicon compounds, metal alkyls, metal isopropoxides, metal oxides, metal acetylacetonates, and metal halides.

11. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 10, wherein the organosilicon compounds comprise tetramethylsilane, trimethylsilane, hexamethyldisiloxane, tetraethylorthosilicate, or a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane.

12. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 10, wherein the metal alkyls comprise trimethylaluminum, tributylaluminum, tributyltin, or tetramethyl gallium.

13. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 10, wherein the metal isopropoxides comprise titanium isopropoxide, or zirconium isopropoxide.

14. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 10, wherein the metal acetylacetonates comprise platinum acetylacetonates, or copper acetylacetonate.

15. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 10, wherein the metal halides comprise titanium tetrachloride, or silicon tetrachloride.

16. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 2, wherein the fluorocarbons are selected from tetrafluoromethane, perfluoropropane, and combinations thereof.

17. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 2, wherein the gas further comprises argon.

18. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 1, wherein the nanostructure has a dimension of less than about 400 nanometers.

19. A method of making a nanostructure according to claim 18, wherein the nanostructure has a dimension of less than about 40 nanometers.