CN104495744A - Method of directly implementing dip-pen nanolithography on hydrophobic substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for directly implementing dip-pen nano-etching technology on a hydrophobic substrate, the method comprising: sealing the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate in a space filled with organic solvent vapor, through which the organic solvent vapor The adsorption on the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate forms a liquid bridge between the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate, and transfers the substance pre-adsorbed on the AFM needle tip to the surface of the hydrophobic substrate to prepare a hydrophobic nanostructure. The present invention utilizes the characteristics that organic solvents are easy to adsorb on hydrophobic surfaces, uses organic solvent vapor to replace the high-humidity air in the prior art, and directly implements dipping pen nano-etching technology on hydrophobic substrates to prepare hydrophobic nanostructures, reducing the manufacturing process , the hydrophobic nanostructure overcomes the defect that the existing hydrophilic nanostructure is easy to absorb moisture in the air, is more stable, and is conducive to reducing the packaging cost of nanodevices, increasing its performance and prolonging its service life.

Description

A Method for Implementing Dip Pen Nanolithography Technique Directly on Hydrophobic Substrates

technical field

The invention relates to the field of nano-manufacturing, in particular to a method for directly implementing dip-pen nano-etching technology on a hydrophobic substrate.

Background technique

Dip pen nano-etching technology is a manufacturing technology that uses the liquid bridge formed between the tip of the atomic force microscope and the substrate to transfer the substance adsorbed on the surface of the tip to the surface of the substrate to prepare nanostructures. It has the advantages of accurate positioning, high resolution, and graphics can be designed arbitrarily. All current dip pen nanolithography techniques are performed in high-humidity air to ensure the formation of a liquid bridge between the tip and the substrate. This requires that the substrate must be hydrophilic, making it more conducive to the adsorption of water molecules in the air.

For hydrophobic substrates, it must be modified in advance in order to successfully implement dip pen nano-etching technology, including surface oxidation or grafting, and adsorption of some hydrophilic molecules. On the one hand, these treatment methods change the surface properties of the substrate, on the other hand, they increase the treatment process and increase the cost. More importantly, these nanostructures prepared on hydrophilic surfaces are easy to adsorb moisture in the air in nature, and the adsorbed water molecules will have a certain impact on the properties of the nanostructures. Therefore, the requirements for device packaging are very high, and its service life is easily affected by ambient humidity.

In addition, the current dip pen nano-etching technology is implemented by using water molecules in high-humidity air to form a liquid bridge, and can only operate on some substances that can be dissolved in water, which greatly limits the application field of this technology. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a dip-pen nanolithography technique that can be directly implemented on hydrophobic substrates.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for directly implementing dipping pen nano-etching technology on a hydrophobic substrate, thereby solving the problem that the dipping pen nano-etching technology in the prior art is limited to operating on a hydrophilic substrate and can only be used for dissolving in Water substances are transferred, and the manufactured hydrophilic nanostructures have higher requirements for device packaging and shorter service life.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

Provide a kind of method that dip pen nano-etching technology is directly implemented on the hydrophobic substrate, the method comprises: the AFM tip and the hydrophobic substrate are sealed in a space full of organic solvent vapor, through the organic solvent vapor in the AFM The adsorption on the needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate forms a liquid bridge between the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate, and transfers the substance pre-adsorbed on the AFM needle tip to the surface of the hydrophobic substrate to prepare a hydrophobic nanostructure.

Preferably, the organic solvent is capable of wetting the surface of the hydrophobic substrate.

Preferably, the organic solvent is unable to swell or dissolve the hydrophobic substrate.

The organic solvent at least partially dissolves the pre-adsorbed substances on the AFM tip.

Preferably, the organic solvent is volatile alcohols, benzenes, esters or ethers. For example: methanol, ethanol, toluene, xylene, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate and tetrahydrofuran, etc. Specifically, the corresponding organic solvent can be selected according to the substance pre-adsorbed on the AFM needle tip, as long as the organic solvent can dissolve the substance.

The organic solvent can be a single organic solvent, or a mixture of an organic solvent and water, or a mixture of multiple organic solvents. The mixing ratio of various solvents can be selected from 0.1% to 99.9% according to the pre-adsorbed substances on the tip and the properties of the substrate.

The filling of the organic solvent vapor can be realized by forced filling by a blower or by natural volatilization of the organic solvent.

The hydrophobic substrate can be selected from metals, organic substances, inorganic substances or polymer materials, etc., as long as it is a hydrophobic substance, it is suitable for the present invention.

According to the method used in the present invention, the hydrophobic substrate can be prepared with nanostructures without surface modification, reducing the manufacturing process.

The substance pre-adsorbed on the AFM needle tip is adsorbed on the surface of the AFM needle tip through dissolution-adsorption-drying or evaporation.

The AFM tip can be a single probe of an atomic force microscope, or a probe array.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has significant beneficial effects: the present invention utilizes the characteristics that organic solvents are easy to adsorb on hydrophobic surfaces, uses organic solvent vapor to replace the high-humidity air in the prior art, and implements dipping pen nanometer directly on hydrophobic substrates. Etching technology to prepare nanostructures does not require any treatment process on the substrate surface, which saves manufacturing time and cost; it can also operate on substances dissolved in organic solvents; successfully prepared hydrophobic nanostructures, which greatly expands the scope of dipping pen nano-etching. The application field of technology; and the hydrophobic nanostructure overcomes the defect that the existing hydrophilic nanostructure is easy to absorb moisture in the air, and is more stable, which is conducive to reducing the packaging cost of nanodevices, increasing its performance and prolonging its service life.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following examples are only used to illustrate the present invention but not to limit the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 has shown the schematic diagram of the principle of the method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and wherein, AFM tip 1 and hydrophobic substrate 2 are sealed in a container 3, and this container 3 is full of organic solvent vapor 4, when AFM tip 1 When staying on the hydrophobic substrate 2, the organic solvent liquid bridge 5 is formed by the adsorption of the organic solvent vapor 4 on the AFM tip 1 and the hydrophobic substrate 2, thereby transferring the pre-adsorbed ink on the AFM tip 1 to the hydrophobic substrate 2, and then on the Nanostructures were successfully prepared on the hydrophobic substrate 2 .

Embodiment one

Using the NP-S type AFM tip, the dip pen nano-etching technique was implemented in toluene saturated vapor. The hydrophobic substrate employed was graphite, the force was 20 nN, and the ink was polymethyl methacrylate. When the needle tip stayed on the graphite surface for 10 seconds, the needle tip was lifted up and imaged, and a smooth bright spot appeared on the graphite surface, indicating that the nanostructure was successfully prepared.

Embodiment two

Using the NSC-18 AFM tip, the dip pen nano-etching technique was implemented in ethanol saturated vapor. The hydrophobic substrate used is polydimethylsiloxane and the ink is polyvinylpyrrolidone. The residence time of the needle tip on the substrate surface was 10 seconds, and the applied force was 20 nN. Then lift the needle tip and image it, you can see a smooth bright spot on the surface of the substrate, indicating that the nanostructure has been successfully prepared.

Embodiment Three

Using the NSC-18 AFM needle tip, the dip pen nano-etching technique was implemented in the saturated vapor of ethanol/water 1:1. The hydrophobic base used is polydimethylsiloxane and the ink is polyethylene glycol. The residence time of the needle tip on the substrate surface was 10 seconds, and the applied force was 20 nN. Then lift the needle tip and image it, you can see a smooth bright spot on the surface of the substrate, indicating that the nanostructure has been successfully prepared.

What is described above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various changes can also be made to the above embodiments of the present invention. That is to say, all simple and equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and description of the application for the present invention fall within the protection scope of the claims of the patent of the present invention. What is not described in detail in the present invention is conventional technical contents.

Claims (10)

1. A method of directly implementing dip pen nano-etching technology on a hydrophobic substrate, characterized in that the method comprises: sealing the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate in a space full of organic solvent vapor, passing through the organic solvent The adsorption of steam on the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate forms a liquid bridge between the AFM needle tip and the hydrophobic substrate, and transfers the pre-adsorbed substance on the AFM needle tip to the surface of the hydrophobic substrate to prepare a hydrophobic nanostructure . 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is capable of wetting the surface of the hydrophobic substrate. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent cannot swell or dissolve the hydrophobic substrate. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent at least partially dissolves the pre-adsorbed substance on the AFM tip. 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the organic solvent is volatile alcohols, benzenes, esters or ethers. 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, the organic solvent is a single organic solvent, or a mixture of an organic solvent and water, or a mixture of multiple organic solvents. 7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the filling of the organic solvent vapor is realized by forced filling by a fan or by natural volatilization of the organic solvent. 8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydrophobic substrate is selected from one of metal, organic, inorganic or polymer materials. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrophobic substrate does not require surface modification. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the AFM tip is a single probe or a probe array of an atomic force microscope.