High-resolution patterning
with remarkable customizability has
stimulated the invention of numerous scanning probe lithography (SPL)
techniques. However, frequent tip damage, substrate-film deterioration,
low throughput, and debris amassing in the patterned region are the
inherent impediments that have precluded obtaining patterns with high
repeatability using SPL. Hence, SPL still has not got wider acceptance
for industrial fabrication and technological applications. Here, we
introduce a novel SPL technique, named water electrolithography (W-ELG),
for patterning at the microscale and potentially at the nanoscale
also. The technique operates in the non-contact mode and is based
on the selective etching, via an electrochemical process, of a metallic
film (e.g., Cr) submerged into water. Here, the working of W-ELG is
demonstrated by scribing a pattern into the Cr film by a traversing
cathode tip along a preset locus. A numerical analysis establishing
the working principles and optimization strategies of W-ELG is also
presented. The tip-sample distance and tip-diameter are identified
as the critical parameters controlling the pattern creation. W-ELG
achieved a throughput of 1.5 × 107 μm2/h, which is the highest among the existing SPL techniques, while
drawing 4 μm wide lines, and is also immune to deleterious issues
of tip damage, debris amassment, etc. Therefore, the resolution of
these inherent impediments of SPL in W-ELG sets the stage for a paradigm
shift that may now translate the SPL from academic exploration to
industrial fabrications.