de Picciotto A., Wissner-Gross A.D., Lavallee G., Weiss P.S.
Montclair State University, US
Keywords: nanostructures, organic/inorganic, patterning
Controlled growth of organic multilayers from periodic gold dot arrays on SiO2 surfaces has been used to create complex overlayer structures. Nanosphere lithography was first used to produce uniform metal patterns with particle sizes of 40 nm, spaced by gaps of 110 nm. These particles served as the nucleation centers for controlled layer-by-layer growth of organic/metal ion complexes. The resulting arrays are isolated ordered organic structures on a continuous SiO2 surface. The deposition of additional organic layers yields continuous networks of the organic materials with isolated SiO2 surface dots in between. Multilayer growth is monitored using FESEM. These nanostructures are further used as the basis for the molecular ruler process. In this process, gold is deposited on top of the organic structures. Gold deposition is followed by the removal of the organic layers in an organic solvent. The result is an array of star-shaped structures that forms in between the original gold dot array. The shapes and sizes of these nanostructures can be easily controlled using organic molecules of various sizes and by choosing the desired number of organic layers deposited.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 3, Technical Proceedings of the 2006 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 3
Published: May 7, 2006
Pages: 182 - 185
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Advanced Manufacturing
ISBN: 0-9767985-8-1