[Micro/Nano Technologies] Micro and Nano Fabrication Technology Volume 1 || Fabrication of Metallic Nanodot Arrays

摘要： Metal nanodot arrays exhibit unique optical characteristics, and they are expected to find widespread applications in biosensors and various optical devices. In this section, simple and efficient manufacturing processes are introduced for metal nanodot arrays. These processes are based on the combination of thin metal film coatings deposited on substrates and thermal dewetting. The first process discussed herein is a conventional thermal dewetting method. With this method, it is shown that the average dot diameter can be controlled based on the chosen process conditions. The second process is based on the use of grid patterning on coated metal films. This process can allow fabrication of nanodot arrays with uniform dot diameters and achieve highly ordered alignment of dots. The third process generates a metal nanodot array based on a self-organization manner on a nanogrid-patterned substrate. It constitutes a high-productivity process based on the transfer of the metal nanodot array to an adhesive film. The basic mechanisms underlying these processes are discussed herein.