Nanometer-Scale Printing
Nanometer-Scale Printing
复制标题
纳米级印刷
DOI：
10.1126/science.1228493
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
J. Rogers
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Rogers
使用橡皮图章和分子尺度断裂的方法可以产生特征尺寸在纳米范围内的图案。纳米技术的进步依赖于制造具有精确定义的纳米尺度结构的能力。从历史上看，这一任务已经通过高能电子束，离子或光子，使用起源于半导体工业的复杂工具来完成（1）。虽然这些技术非常适合于集成电路和相关设备的制造，但由于需要昂贵的设备和专门设施，因此往往不是探索性研究的最佳选择。它们也往往只适用于狭窄的材料类别，而且在大面积使用时速度会非常慢。在本期的第1517页，Liao等人（2）介绍了一种绕过这些限制的方案，其中橡皮图章通过分子尺度的断裂影响纳米级图案转移。他们的技术代表了一类“软平版印刷”方法的概念性进步，其中在接触印刷过程中，在其表面上具有精细浮雕特征的弹性体将分子（3，4）或材料（5，6）递送到感兴趣的基底上。通过为那些对复杂设备访问有限的研究人员提供先进的纳米制造能力，这些简单的方法在纳米技术作为一个广泛的、充满活力的研究领域的出现中发挥了核心作用。
A method using rubber stamps and molecular-scale fracture can produce patterns with feature sizes in the nanometer range. Progress in nanotechnology relies on the ability to fabricate structures with precisely defined, nanoscale dimensions. Historically, this task has been accomplished with energetic beams of electrons, ions, or photons, using sophisticated tools whose origins lie in the semiconductor industry (1). Although well suited for manufacturing of integrated circuits and related devices, such techniques are often not the best choices for exploratory research because they require expensive equipment and specialized facilities. They also tend to work well only with narrow classes of materials, and they can be prohibitively slow for use over large areas. On page 1517 of this issue, Liao et al. (2) introduce a scheme that bypasses these limitations, in which rubber stamps affect nanoscale pattern transfer via molecular-scale fracture. Their technique represents a conceptual advance on a class of “soft lithographic” methods in which elastomers with fine features of relief on their surfaces deliver molecules (3, 4) or materials (5, 6) onto substrates of interest, in a process of contact printing. By providing advanced nanofabrication capabilities to researchers with limited access to complex apparatus, these simple methods have played a central role in the emergence of nanotechnology as a broad, vibrant field of study.