Large-area submicron replica molding of porous low-k dielectric films and application to photonic crystal biosensor fabrication

We demonstrate a replica-molding method for submicron patterning of a low-index sol-gel nanoporous glass for the purpose of fabricating large-area (~80cm^2) label-free photonic crystal optical biosensors. Scanning electron micrographs show the sol-gel exhibited minimal shrinkage and good substrate adhesion and depict precise and uniform pattern transfer over the fabricated area within the limits of measurement resolution. A unique characterization approach is described in which the photonic crystal optical resonance is used to accurately and quickly characterize the geometrical and material property uniformity over a large area. Uniformity within 1% was measured over an 80cm^2 area. We suggest that this robust method is an excellent approach for photonic crystal sensor fabrication, and may also find applications in integrated optics and electronics.

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