Wafer-scale nanopatterning using electrodeposition

Abstract

This work proposed and demonstrated a simple yet effective technique that can achieve wafer-scale nanopatterning using electrodeposition and standard microlithographic tools. The proposed technique shrinks the microscale features in the metal layer to the nanoscale and subsequently uses the same metal layer as the etch mask for pattern transfer. As a proof of concept, an array of trenches and holes with initial dimensions of around 700 nm over a 1×1 cm2 wafer area was used to achieve sub-100 nm features in the underlying substrate after the pattern transfer. In addition to the electrodeposition process, only standard i-line lithography, metal deposition and lift-off, and reactive ion etching were used in the experiment. The proposed technique can be extended to the patterning of a general nanoscale pattern except when the pattern density exceeds the resolution limit of the microlithographic tool. In this article, the authors also discuss the line-edge roughness, registration error, and pattern-dependent shrinking rate in the electrodeposition nanopatterning process. The results can be applied to various metallic and semiconducting surfaces and are expected to be advantageous in the fabrication of many nanoscale devices including zero-mode waveguides and nanocantilevers.

Fabrication of nanoscale zero-mode waveguides using microlithography for single molecule sensing

“…Only sample A underwent a 2.5 min electrodeposition process using the BDT-510 gold plating solution and achieved nanoapertures. The details of the electrodeposition process can be found in [19]. The current density during the electrodeposition was controlled at 1.4 mA cm −2 , corresponding to an aperture shrinking rate of 140 nm min −1 .…”

“…However, the relatively limited resolution of microlithography prohibits its direct applicability to the production of ZMWs requiring dimensions significantly below the diffraction limit of visible light. In this paper, a simple aperture shrinking technique using electrodeposition was developed to overcome this limitation [19]. We demonstrated the versatility of our method by fabricating metal apertures with a large range of aperture diameters.…”