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In this manuscript, we demonstrate the potential of replacing the standard bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) with a polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) layer for wafer-scale nanofabrication by means of deep-UV displacement talbot lithography (DTL). PMGI is functioning as a developable non-UV sensitive bottom anti-reflective coating (DBARC). After introducing the fabrication process using a standard BARC-based coating and the novel PMGI-based one, the DTL nanopatterning capabilities for both coatings are compared by means of the fabrication of etched nanoholes in a dielectric layer and metal nanodots made by lift-off. Improvement of DTL capabilities are attributed to a reduction of process complexity by avoiding the use of O2 plasma etching of the BARC layer. We show the capacity of this approach to produce nanoholes or nanodots with diameters ranging from 95 to 200 nm at a wafer-scale using only one mask and a proper exposing dose. The minimum diameter of the nanoholes is reduced from 118 to 95 nm when using the PMGI-based coating instead of the BARC-based one. The possibilities opened by the PMGI-based coating are illustrated by the successful fabrication of an array of nanoholes with sub-100 nm diameter for GaAs nanowire growth on a 2″ GaAs wafer, a 2″ nanoimprint lithography (NIL) master stamp, and an array of Au nanodots made by lift-off on a 4″ silica wafer. Therefore, DTL possess the potential for wafer-scale manufacturing of nano-engineered materials.

International audience; Single-digit nanometer patterning by nanoimprint lithography is a challenging task, which requires optimum stamp fabrication technique. In the current work, we present different strategies for technology of hard master stamps to make intermediate working stamps with sub-10 nm features. Methods of both negative and positive master stamps fabrication, based on EBL, RIE and ALD are described and compared. A single-step copying of negative master stamps using a polymer material is a preferred strategy to reach the ultra high-resolution. Lines as small as 5.6 nm are demonstrated in a resist using a combined thermal and UV-imprint with OrmoStamp material as a working stamp.

We report on electrical and optical properties of p+-i-n+ photodetectors/solar cells based on square millimeter arrays of InP nanowires (NWs) grown on InP substrates. The study includes a sample series where the p+-segment length was varied between 0 and 250 nm, as well as solar cells with 9.3% efficiency with similar design. The electrical data for all devices display clear rectifying behavior with an ideality factor between 1.8 and 2.5 at 300 K. From spectrally resolved photocurrent measurements, we conclude that the photocurrent generation process depends strongly on the p+-segment length. Without a p+-segment, photogenerated carriers funneled from the substrate into the NWs contribute strongly to the photocurrent. Adding a p+-segment decouples the substrate and shifts the depletion region, and collection of photogenerated carriers, to the NWs, in agreement with theoretical modeling. In optimized solar cells, clear spectral signatures of interband transitions in the zinc blende and wurtzite InP layers of the mixed-phase i-segments are observed. Complementary electroluminescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as measurements of the dependence of the photocurrent on angle of incidence and polarization, support our interpretations.

Devices based on molecular motor-driven cytoskeletal filaments, e.g., actin filaments, have been developed both for biosensing and biocomputational applications. Commonly, these devices require nanoscaled tracks for guidance of the actin filaments which has limited the patterning technique to electron beam lithography. Thus, large scale systems become intractable to fabricate at a high throughput within a reasonable time-frame. We have studied the possibility to fabricate molecular motor-based devices using the high throughput, high resolution technique of nanoimprint lithography. Molecular motor-based devices require wide open regions (loading zones) to allow filaments to land for later propulsion into the nanoscale tracks. Such open zones are challenging to fabricate using nanoimprint lithography due to the large amount of material displaced in the process. We found that this challenge can be overcome by introducing nanoscaled pillars inside the loading zones, into which material can be displaced during imprint. By optimising the resist thickness, we were able to decrease the amount of material displaced without suffering from insufficient filling of the stamp. Furthermore, simulations suggest that the shape and positioning of the pillars can be used to tailor the overall cytoskeletal filament transportation direction and behaviour. This is a potentially promising design feature for future applications that however, requires further optimisations before experimental realisation.

Position controlled nanowire growth is important for nanowire-based optoelectronic components which rely on light emission or light absorption. For solar energy harvesting applications, dense arrays of nanowires are needed; however, a major obstacle to obtaining dense nanowire arrays is seed particle displacement and coalescing during the annealing stage prior to nanowire growth. Here, we explore three different strategies to improve pattern preservation of large-area catalyst particle arrays defined by nanoimprint lithography for nanowire growth. First, we see that heat treating the growth substrate prior to nanoimprint lithography improves pattern preservation. Second, we explore the possibility of improving pattern preservation by fixing the seed particles in place prior to annealing by modifying the growth procedure. And third, we show that a SiNx growth mask can fully prevent seed particle displacement. We show how these strategies allow us to greatly improve the pattern fidelity of grown InP nanowire arrays with dimensions suitable for solar cell applications, ultimately achieving 100% pattern preservation over the sampled area. The generic nature of these strategies is supported through the synthesis of GaAs and GaP nanowires. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] (Less)

Here we detail transparent, flexible, nanostructured, membrane-less and mediator-free glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cells, which can be reproducibly fabricated with industrial scale throughput. The electrodes were built on a biocompatible flexible polymer, while nanoimprint lithography was used for their nanostructuring. The electrodes were covered with gold, their surfaces were visualised using scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, and they were also studied spectrophotometrically and electrochemically. The enzymatic fuel cells were fabricated following our previous reports on membrane-less and mediator-free biodevices in which cellobiose dehydrogenase and bilirubin oxidase were used as anodic and cathodic biocatalysts, respectively. The following average characteristics of transparent and flexible biodevices operating in glucose and chloride containing neutral buffers were registered: 0.63 V open-circuit voltage, and 0.6 mu W cm(-2) maximal power density at a cell voltage of 0.35 V. A transparent and flexible enzymatic fuel cell could still deliver at least 0.5 mu W cm(-2) after 12 h of continuous operation. Thus, such biodevices can potentially be used as self-powered biosensors or electric power sources for smart electronic contact lenses. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)

The unit of y axis in Fig. 2 in the original version of this article was unfortunately wrongly written on page 2856, instead of m−2. (Figure Presented.).

Essentially all approaches to artificial molecular motors rely on diffusional stepping, i.e. the free energy input that powers the motor is used to rectify thermal motion. However, many models for biological motors, e.g. myosins or kinesins, include directed motion due to a “power stroke”. In this project we are employing a bottom-up approach to developing a relatively simple experimental model system, the “Inchworm”, with the intention to create the first artificial motor with a power stroke. Specifically, the Inchworm consists of a stretch of DNA confined inside a nanochannel, with ligand-gated repressor proteins immobilized on the nanochannel walls. By cyclically stretching and contracting the Inchworm DNA, via changes in buffer ionic strength, and simultaneously externally controlling the DNA repressor proteins’ binding and unbinding states, the motor is designed to achieve processive and unidirectional motion along the nanochannel. Here we report the status of this project: we have constructed the Inchworm DNA, expressed the ligand-gated repressor proteins and tested their specificity. In addition, we have developed a protocol for immobilization of the repressor proteins to the nanochannel walls and produced nanochannels (100-200 nm) in quartz, which can be interfaced with preexisting micro-fluidic systems.Acknowledgment: This work was supported by MONAD, HFSP, the Swedish Research Council and nmC@LU.