POLYMER PEN LITHOGRAPHY

• US 20160357101A1
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Northwestern University
• Inventors: Zheng, Zijian, Mirkin, Chad A., Huo, Fengwei, Zheng, Gengfeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,222,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• 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: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/856 including etching/cutting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/874 Probe tip array
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/878 Shape/taper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/887 Nanoimprint lithography, i.e. nanostamp
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/888 Shaping or removal of materials, e.g. etching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/902 Specified use of nanostructure

Abstract

The disclosure relates to methods of printing indicia on a substrate using a tip array comprised of elastomeric, compressible polymers. The tip array can be prepared using conventional photolithographic methods and can be tailored to have any desired number and/or arrangement of tips. Numerous copies (e.g., greater than 15,000, or greater than 11 million) of a pattern can be made in a parallel fashion in as little as 40 minutes.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A tip array comprising a plurality of tips fixed to a common substrate layer, the tips and common substrate layer formed from an elastomeric polymer, the elastomeric polymer of the tips having a compression modulus of about 10 MPa to about 300 MPa, and each tip having a radius of curvature of less than about 1 μ

m.

30. The tip array of claim 29, wherein each tip has a radius of curvature of less than about 0.5 μ

m.

31. The tip array of claim 30, wherein each tip has a radius of curvature of less than about 100 nm.

32. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the tips are arranged in a regular periodic pattern.

33. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the tips are identically-shaped.

34. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the tips are pyramidal.

35. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the thickness of the common substrate layer is about 50 μ

m to about 100 μ

m.

36. The tip array of claim 29, further comprising a rigid support to which the common substrate is adhered.

37. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the tip array, common substrate layer, and rigid support are at least translucent.

38. The tip array of claim 29, wherein the common substrate layer and tips have a combined thickness of less than about 200 μ

m.

39. The tip array of claim 38, wherein the combined thickness is less than about 150 μ

m.

40. The tip array of claim 39, wherein the combined thickness is about 100 μ

m.

41. (canceled)

42. A tip array comprising an at least translucent stacked structure comprising a plurality of tips fixed to a common elastomeric polymer substrate, the substrate fixed to a glass slide.

43. A method of making a tip array, comprising:

forming a master comprising an array of recesses in a substrate separated by lands;

filling the recesses and covering the lands with a prepolymer mixture comprising an prepolymer and, optionally, a crosslinker;

curing the prepolymer mixture to form a polymer structure; and

separating the polymer structure from the master.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising forming the recesses as pyramidal recesses by forming wells in the substrate and anisotropicaly wet-etching the substrate.

45. The method of claim 43, further comprising covering the filled and coated substrate with a planar glass layer prior to curing.