Stenci Lithography: Status and Prospectives

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The integration of two‐photon lithography (TPL) with magnetic material processing has opened transformative avenues for designing and realizing 3D functional nanomagnetic systems. This review presents a comprehensive overview of how TPL can be leveraged to fabricate 3D architectures that harness magnetism. The fundamental physics of TPL is examined, and recent advances in voxel engineering, resolution, and throughput are reviewed. Emerging strategies for magnetic functionalization, including physical vapor

Spin chirality is a fundamental property that manifests non-reciprocal transport—magnetochiral anisotropy (MChA). However, the application of MChA in technology is constrained by the necessity for an external magnetic field, complex non-centrosymmetric crystal synthesis and cryogenic environments. Here we overcome these challenges by imprinting geometric chirality onto a nickel tube via three-dimensional nanoengineering. We use two-photon lithography to create a structurally twisted polymeric template with

Grayscale photolithography is an advanced microfabrication technique that enables the creation of complex three-dimensional structures. Unlike traditional lithography, which produces binary patterns (black or white), grayscale photolithography offers the possibility of precisely controlling the intensity of light exposure to obtain patterns with different heights or depths in a single exposure step. After exposing patterns on the photoresists, we used an ion electron beam (IBE) to etch the silica with diffe

Mini-module aging tests with differently interconnected heterojunction solar cells having industrially viable copper metallization are presented. The plating process comprises 3 steps: firstly, screen printing of a seed-grid layout using a copper-based paste, followed by deposition of a dielectric layer over the entire wafer surface, and finally, selective copper electrodeposition on grid positions. Modules with Smartwire interconnection, fabricated with M6 half-cells, are stable in extended TC and PID test

Most users of online services have unique behavioral or usage patterns. These behavioral patterns can be used to identify and track users by using only the observed patterns in the behavior. We study the task of identifying users from statistics of their behavioral patterns. Specifically, we focus on the setting in which we are given histograms of users’ data collected in two different experiments. In the first dataset, we assume that the users’ identities are anonymized or hidden and in the second dataset

This paper presents a low-complexity and low temperature (85°C) fabrication process for vibration energy harvesters. The process employs lamination steps to transfer thinned PZT thick sheets onto flexible polymeric substrates, using dry film photoresist. The influence of geometrical parameters on the device performance were assessed by FEM simulations (using COMSOL) and supported by experiments. Optimization of the output power was performed by modifying the neutral plane within the device and by using a lo

This paper presents the state-of-the-art of nanostencil as a direct and local patterning method. Stencil lithography is a high-resolution shadow mask technique that allows structuring surfaces without using the harsh process steps typically associated with photolithography (solvents, high temperature baking, etc.). Our work has concentrated on studying the technique and maximizing its potential in terms of resolution, scalability to full wafer, and applicability to various material systems. We found solutio

A new approach to reduce phosphorous contamination in the intrinsic layer during the deposition of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) nip solar cells prepared in single-chamber reactors is presented. This novel process consists of a hydrogen etching plasma performed after the n-layer deposition, which prevents a recycling of phosphorous from the reactor walls when exposed to a hydrogen-rich plasma during the subsequent i-layer deposition. The implemented process reduces the phosphorous cross-contamination in the i-

We investigate the use of a metallic nano-cavity on dielectric waveguides for sensing applications. Nowadays the fabrication of metallic structures featured by challenging dimensions is feasible thanks to the most recent technologies such as E-Beam Lithography (EBL) and lift-off [1]. We propose here to study the simulation, fabrication and characterization of such structures at the telecom wavelength (λ=1.55 μm).

The development of a particular etching recipe involving two sequences of a Deep Reactive Ion Etching followed by an isotropic etching step for the realization of 3D stacked arrays of fins and nanowires on bulk silicon is reported. Such a recipe can be used among the new processes and designs developed to control the shape and formation of such 3D structures. Applications in microelectronics (stacked field effect transistors) and microsystems (arrays of MEMS resonators and photonic structures) are foreseen.

This paper describes the fabrication technique for the realization a microfluidic flow cell to be integrated on a CMOS biosensor for DNA hybridization detection. The main element of the microfluidic system is made in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer and takes up an area of 5 mm(2). PDMS is cast against a silicon master patterned by Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) and then bonded on the chip by means of oxygen plasma activation. The micro channels patterned in the flow cell are connected with capillary

Microstencil lithography, a resistless, single-step direct vacuum patterning method, is one of promising methods for metal micropattern definition on polymer substrates that are not suitable for conventional photolithography. We propose to apply microstencil lithography to fabricate microelectrodes on flat and pre-structured polymer substrates which form parts of microfluidic systems with incorporated microelectrodes. However, microstencil lithography is accompanied by two main issues when considered as a l

The four-point probe is used for the measurement of the resistivity of thin metal or semiconductor films. There is an interest in miniaturization of the probes to obtain higher surface sensitivity, an increased spatial resolution and less damage to the sample. In this project the design, fabrication and first characterisation of a microscopic four-point device using SU-8-cantilevers were realized. A 200-µm-thick SU-8 body chip allows the handling of the device and the electrical connection to the measuremen

Applications of thin SixNy membranes may be found in miscellaneous fields such as MEMS and NEMS as well as biotechnology. FIB is an excellent tool in order to realize nano-structures on membranes achieving the ultimate limits and rapid prototyping.

Four-point probes (4PPs) are used for the resistivity measurement of thin metal or semiconductor films. There is an interest in miniaturization of 4PPs to obtain higher surface sensitivity, increased spatial resolution and less damage to the sample. Several attempts have been made to reduce the probe spacing, e.g. a four-tip scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was reported and a 4PP based on silicon cantilevers was designed. This paper shows design, fabrication and characterisation of a micrometer scale 4PP

The endeavour to develop nanodevices demands for patterning methods in the nanometer scale. The continuous improvement in lithography methods based on deep UV (DUV), X-ray, or electron beam exposure allow for further progress in integrated circuit hardware manufacturing for the coming years. To bring nanodevices to the market, however, there is a need for fast, low-cost replication nanopatterning methods. In addition, an increased flexibility of the nanopatterning methods is important for the engineering of

Electrodeposition on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) steps has been proven to be an easy method for the preparation of metal (Pd, Cu, Ag etc) and metal oxide or sulfide (MoO2, MnO2, MoS2) nanowires in recent years. These wires can be transferred on to other insulating substrates like polymers (eg, PDMS) and epoxy or cyano acrylate glues, to be used as sensors, for example palladium for the detection of hydrogen. The main problem during their conductivity measurements is to make macroscopic contact

Processing issues for the fabrication of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) arrays have been studied using surface micromachining. This work focuses on the critical steps of process fabrication such as membrane formation, sacrificial layer properties and vacuum sealing performance of cavity. We describe a four-mask process for the realization of sealed cMUT. We demonstrate that the use of a sacrificial layer with a columnar structure gives a fast etching rate (29 nm s(-1)) in a buffered h

A new tool of surface patterning technique for general purpose lithography was developed based on shadow mask method. This paper describes the fabrication of a new type of miniaturized shadow mask. The shadow mask is fabricated by photolithography and etching of 100-mm full wafer. The fabricated shadow mask has over 388 membranes with apertures of micrometer length scale ranging from 1 μm to 100s μm made on each 2mm x 2mm large low stress silicon nitride membrane. It allows micro scale patterns to be direct

An epitaxial 200 nm thick film of Pb(Zr0.40Ti0.60)O-3 (PZT) has been deposited by reactive rf magnetron sputtering on conductive Nb-doped SrTiO3 (100) (STO). The patterning process involved electron-beam lithography of polymethylmethacrylate, fabrication of a 75 nm thick Cr hard mask layer by means of a lift-off process, and dry etching of PZT. The smallest PZT features obtained were 100 nm in lateral dimensions. Piezoelectric sensitive scanning force microscopy in the contact mode revealed a strong increas

Stenci Lithography: Status and Prospectives

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Exploiting Two‐Photon Lithography, Deposition, and Processing to Realize Complex 3D Magnetic Nanostructures

Geometry-induced spin chirality in a non-chiral ferromagnet at zero field

Grayscale Patterning of Silica

Aging tests of mini-modules with copper-plated heterojunction solar cells and pattern-transfer-printing of copper paste

Where You Are is Who You Are: User Identification by Matching Statistics

Vibration energy harvester on plastic foil based on transferring PZT thick sheets

Advances in Nanostenciling: resistless nanopatterning enables new applications

Reduction of the phosphorous cross-contamination in nip solar cells prepared in a single-chamber PECVD reactor

Planar Integrated Sensors on Waveguides for sensing applications

3D stacked arrays of fins and nanowires on bulk silicon

Integration of a microfluidic flow cell on a CMOS biosensor for DNA detection

Application of Microstencil Lithography on Polymer Surfaces for Microfluidic Systems with Integrated Microelectrodes

Micro-Four-Point probe based on SU-8 cantilevers

NANOINGENEERING OF SIN MEMBRANES USING FIB

Microscopic four-point probe (u4PP) based on SU-8 cantilevers

High-throughput surface patterning with wafer-sized stencils fabricated by a DUV/MEMS process

Self-assembled nanowires connected to micropads using the nanostencil method

Optimization of the fabrication of sealed capacitive transducers using surface micromachining

Fabrication of Miniaturized Shadow-mask for Local Deposition

Size effect in mesoscopic epitaxial ferroelectric structures: Increase of piezoelectric response with decreasing feature size