High-Resolution Patterning of Metal Thin Films with Water Mediated Transfer Process

Abstract

We report a new nano-transfer printing (nTP) method that uses a water-mediated transfer process. Water-mediated nTP is based on the direct transfer of a metal thin film from a stamp to a substrate via a water-mediated surface bonding between the stamp and the substrate. This procedure can generate aluminum (Al) patterns with feature sizes as small as 60 nm. The transferred Al patterns chemically bound to the substrate surface and, thus, exhibited strong adhesion. The Al patterns were then used as hard masks for selective dry etching. The patterned Al thin films have been characterized by atomic force microscopy(AFM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM),