Communications of the ACM
Researchers Discover Breakthrough Technique That Could Make Electronics Smaller and Better
Researchers used adhesive tape to remove the excess metal on a wafer's surface and expose the atomic scale nano-gaps.
Credit: University of Minnesota News
University of Minnesota researchers led an international group of scientists in developing a technique for manufacturing nanostructures that could make electrical and optical devices smaller and better.
Minnesota researchers combined several standard nanofabrication techniques to create extremely thin gaps through a layer of metal. They then patterned the tiny gaps over the entire surface of a four-inch silicon wafer.
Collaborators at Seoul National University and Argonne National Laboratory showed that light could be squeezed through the gaps, even though they are hundreds of times smaller than the wavelength of the light used.
"Our technology, called atomic layer lithography, has the potential to create ultra-small sensors with increased sensitivity and also enable new and exciting experiments at the nanoscale like we’ve never been able to do before," says Minnesota professor Sang-Hyun Oh.
The researchers constructed the nano-gaps by layering atomic-scale thin films on the sides of metal patterns and then capping the structure with another metal layer. The researchers then used Scotch Magic tape to remove the excess metals.
"Our technique is so simple yet can create uniform and ultra-small gaps like we've never been able to do before," Oh says.
From University of Minnesota News
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