Northwestern University

Richard Piner

Chad A Mirkin

Seunghun Hong

Seunghum Hong

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as 'dip pen' nanolithography (DPN). The method include the following steps: (i) providing a substrate and a scanning probe microscope tip; (ii) coating the tip with a patterning compound and a solvent to form a wet tip; and (iii) contacting the coated tip with the substrate so that the compound is applied to the substrate so as to produce a desired pattern. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN and kits for performing DPN.

Methods utilizing scanning probe microscope tips and products therefor or produced thereby

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as 'dip pen' nanolithography (DPN). DPN utilizes a scanning probe microscope (SPM) tip (e.g., an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip) as a 'pen,' a solid-state substrate (e.g., gold) as &#x201c;paper,&#x201d; and molecules with a chemical affinity for the solid-state substrate as &#x201c;ink.&#x201d; Capillary transport of molecules from the SPM tip to the solid substrate is used in DPN to directly write patterns consisting of a relatively small collection of molecules in submicrometer dimensions, making DPN useful in the fabrication of a variety of microscale and nanoscale devices. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN, including submicrometer combinatorial arrays, and kits, devices and software for performing DPN. The invention further provides a method of performing AFM imaging in air. The method comprises coating an AFM tip with a hydrophobic compound, the hydrophobic compound being selected so that AFM imaging performed using the coated AFM tip is improved compared to AFM imaging performed using an uncoated AFM tip. Finally, the invention provides AFM tips coated with the hydrophobic compounds.

Methods utilizing scanning probe microscope tips and products thereof or produced thereby

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as 'dip pen' nanolithography (DPN). Capillary transport of molecules from the SPM tip to the solid substrate is used in DPN to directly write patterns consisting of a relatively small collection of molecules in submicrometer dimensions, making DPN useful in the fabrication of a variety of microscale and nanoscale devices. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN and kits for performing DPN. The invention further provides a method of performing AFM imaging in air. The method comprises coating an AFM tip with a hydrophobic compound, the hydrophobic compound being selected so that AFM imaging performed using the coated AFM tip is improved compared to AFM imaging performed using an uncoated AFM tip. Finally, the invention provides AFM tips coated with the hydrophobic compounds.

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as 'dip pen' nanolithography (DPN). DPN utilizes a scanning probe microscope (SPM) tip (e.g., an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip) as a 'pen,' a solid-state substrate (e.g., gold) as &#x201c;paper,&#x201d; and molecules with a chemical affinity for the solid-state substrate as &#x201c;ink.&#x201d; Capillary transport of molecules from the SPM tip to the solid substrate is used in DPN to directly write patterns consisting of a relatively small collection of molecules in submicrometer dimensions, making DPN useful in the fabrication of a variety of microscale and nanoscale devices. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN and kits for performing DPN. The invention further provides a method of performing AFM imaging in air. The method comprises coating an AFM tip with a hydrophobic compound, the hydrophobic compound being selected so that AFM imaging performed using the coated AFM tip is improved compared to AFM imaging performed using an uncoated AFM tip. Finally, the invention provides AFM tips coated with the hydrophobic compounds.

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as 'dip pen' nanolithography (DPN), which utilizes a scanning probe microscope (SPM) tip (e.g., an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip) as a 'pen,' a solid-state substrate (e.g., gold) as &#x201c;paper,&#x201d; and molecules with a chemical affinity for the solid-state substrate as &#x201c;ink.&#x201d; Capillary transport of molecules from the SPM tip to the solid-state substrate is used in DPN to directly write patterns consisting of a relatively small collection of molecules in submicrometer dimensions, making DPN useful in the fabrication of a variety of microscale and nanoscale devices. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN, including submicrometer combinatorial arrays, and kits, devices and software for performing DPN. The invention further provides a method of performing AFM imaging in air. The method comprises coating an AFM tip with a hydrophobic compound, the hydrophobic compound being selected so that AFM imaging performed using the coated AFM tip is improved compared to AFM imaging preformed using an uncoated AFM tip. Finally, the invention provides AFM tips coated with the hydrophobic compounds.

The invention provides a lithographic method referred to as &ldquo;dip pen&rdquo; nanolithography (DPN). DPN utilizes a scanning probe microscope (SPM) tip (e.g., an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip) as a &ldquo;pen,&rdquo; a solid-state substrate (e.g., gold) as &ldquo;paper,&rdquo; and molecules with a chemical affinity for the solid-state substrate as &ldquo;ink.&rdquo; Capillary transport of molecules from the SPM tip to the solid substrate is used in DPN to directly write patterns consisting of a relatively small collection of molecules in submicrometer dimensions, making DPN useful in the fabrication of a variety of microscale and nanoscale devices. The invention also provides substrates patterned by DPN, including submicrometer combinatorial arrays, and kits, devices and software for performing DPN. The invention further provides a method of performing AFM imaging in air. The method comprises coating an AFM tip with a hydrophobic compound, the hydrophobic compound being selected so that AFM imaging performed using the coated AFM tip is improved compared to AFM imaging performed using an uncoated AFM tip. Finally, the invention provides AFM tips coated with the hydrophobic compounds.

A method of direct-write nanolithography comprising: providing a solid substrate comprising a surface; providing a nanoscopic tip coated with patterning compound; and contacting the coated tip with the substrate, so that the patterning compound is delivered to the substrate so as to produce a desired pattern in submicrometer dimensions. Nanolithographic resolution can be affected by substrate grain size, diffusion rate of the patterning compound, tip-substrate contact time, the rate of transport of the patterning compound from the tip to the substrate, and tip sharpness. The method is a useful tool for fabrication of nanoscale structures.

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Des Plaines, IL, United States of America

Richard Piner