(80e) Recent Advances in Nanoscale Thermal Lithography Using Heated Atomic Force Microscope Cantilevers and Cantilever Arrays

Patterning materials at micrometer and nanometer length scales is a critical and enabling technology in a variety of applications. In particular, nanopatterning of polymer thin films is the basis for the vast majority of current microlithography processes used in integrated circuit manufacturing. Future scaling of such polymer patterning methods will require innovative solutions to overcome the prohibitively high tool and mask costs associated with current optical lithography methods which will prevent their use in many applications. Several scanning probe-based methods for surface modification have been recently demonstrated including direct atomic manipulation, thermomechanical deformation, and dip pen nanolithography (DPN). Scanning probe methods are desirable in that they offer high resolution patterning while also offering the ability to perform in-situ metrology. This paper reports a new scanning probe lithography method which uses heated atomic force microscope cantilevers to achieve nanoscale patterning in polymer films via local thermal decomposition of polymer films and in-situ post-decomposition metrology. Specifically, cross-linked polycarbonate thin films are shown to be excellent writing media for this process. This new method has the advantage that the tip can be heated and cooled on microsecond time scales and thus material can be removed and patterned without need for disengagement of the tip from the polymer surface. This ability to write while the tip is constantly engaged to the surface offers significantly higher writing speeds for discontinuous patterns relative to other scanning probe techniques such as DPN. This presentation will give an update on recent investigations directed at characterizing the performance and properties of such materials and methods.