TiO2 patterning using electro-hydrodynamic lithography

Nicoleta E. Voicu; M. S. M. Saifullah; K. R. V. Subramanian; Mark E. Welland; Ullrich Steiner

doi:10.1039/B616538A

TiO₂patterning using electro-hydrodynamic lithography

Nicoleta E. Voicu,^abc M. S. M. Saifullah,†^b K. R. V. Subramanian,^b Mark E. Welland^b and Ullrich Steiner*^ab

* Corresponding authors

^a Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, UK
E-mail: www.phy.cam.ac.uk/steiner

^b The Nanoscience Center, Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Nanotechnology, University of Cambridge, 11 J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, UK

^c Department of Polymer Chemistry, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands

Abstract

An increasing number of technologies require the fabrication of micro- and nanostructures over large areas. Soft lithographic methods are gaining in popularity for the manufacture of low-cost micrometre and sub-micrometre structures. Increasingly, these methods developed to structure organic resists can also be used to pattern inorganic materials. Here we introduce a simple lithographic technique that is able to pattern ceramic TiO₂ micro- and nanostructures with high fidelity. Our method makes use of an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) film instability that is controlled by a laterally modulated electric field. A spin-coated film of a stabilized metal alkoxide precursor material was patterned using EHD lithography followed by a heat treatment at 400 °C to yield crystalline TiO₂ micropatterns. Our technique is rather general and can be extended to a number of single- and multicomponent oxide systems.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/B616538A

Article type

Paper

Submitted

13 Nov 2006

Accepted

19 Dec 2006

First published

23 Jan 2007

Download Citation

Soft Matter, 2007,3, 554-557

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TiO₂ patterning using electro-hydrodynamic lithography

N. E. Voicu, M. S. M. Saifullah, K. R. V. Subramanian, M. E. Welland and U. Steiner, Soft Matter, 2007, 3, 554 DOI: 10.1039/B616538A

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Soft Matter