Nanoscale Patterning Using Femtosecond Laser and Self-assembled Monolayers (SAMs)

Standard positive photoresist techniques were adapted to generate nano-scale patterns of gold substrate using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and femtosecond laser. SAMs formed by the adsorption of alkanethiols onto gold substrate are employed as very thin photoresists, Alkanethiolates formed by the adsorption of alkanethiols are oxidized on exposure to UV light in the presence of air to alkylsulfonates. Specifically, it is known that deep UV light of wavelength less than 200nm is necessary for oxidation to occur. In this study, ultrafast laser of wavelength 800nm and pulse width 200fs is applied for photolithography. Results show that ultrafast laser of visible range wavelength can replace deep UV laser source for photo patterning using thin organic films. Femtosecond laser coupled near-field scanning optical microscopy facilitates not only the patterning of surface chemical structure, but also the creation of three-dimensional nano-scale structures by combination with suitable etching methods.