Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userPatterning of diamond like carbon films for sensor applications using silicon containing thermoplastic resist (SiPol) as a hard mask
224
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
Patterning of diamond-like carbon (DLC) and DLC:metal nanocomposites is of interest for an increasing number of applications. We demonstrate a nanoimprint lithography process based on silicon containing thermoplastic resist combined with plasma etching for straightforward patterning of such films. A variety of different structures with few hundred nanometer feature size and moderate aspect ratios were successfully realized. The quality of produced patterns was directly investigated by the means of optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Such structures were further assessed by employing them in the development of gratings for guided mode resonance (GMR) effect. Optical characterization of such leaky waveguide was compared with numerical simulations based on rigorous coupled wave analysis method with good agreement. The use of such structures as refractive index variation sensors is demonstrated with sensitivity up to 319 nm/RIU, achieving an improvement close to 450% in sensitivity compared to previously reported similar sensors. This pronounced GMR signal fully validates the employed DLC material, the technology to pattern it and the possibility to develop DLC based gratings as corrosion and wear resistant refractometry sensors that are able to operate under harsh conditions providing great value and versatility.
rate research
Read More
A direct patterning technique of gallium-irradiated superconducting silicon has been established by focused gallium-ion beam without any mask-based lithography process. The electrical transport measurements for line and square shaped patterns of gallium-irradiated silicon were carried out under self-field and magnetic field up to 7 T. Sharp superconducting transitions were observed in both patterns at temperature of 7 K. The line pattern exhibited a signature of higher onset temperature above 10 K. A critical dose amount to obtain the superconducting gallium-irradiated silicon was investigated by the fabrication of various samples with different doses. This technique can be used as a simple fabrication method for superconducting device.
Recently, hollow thermoplastic microspheres, such as Expancel made by Nouryon, have emerged as an innovative filler material for use in polymer-matrix composites. The resulting all-polymer syntactic foam takes on excellent damage tolerance properties, strong recoverability under large strains, and favourable energy dissipation characteristics. Despite finding increasing usage in various industries and applications, including in coatings, films, sealants, packaging, composites for microfluidics, medical ultrasonics and cementious composites, there is a near-complete absence of statistical geometrical information for Expancel microspheres. Further, their mechanical properties have not yet been reported. In this work we characterise the geometrical quantities of two classes of Expancel thermoplastic microspheres using X-ray computed tomography, focused ion beam and electron microscopy. We also observe the spatial distribution of microspheres within a polyurethane-matrix syntactic foam. We show that the volume-weighted polydisperse shell diameter in both classes of microsphere follows a normal distribution. Interestingly, polydispersity of the shell wall thickness is not observed and in particular the shell thickness is not correlated to the shell diameter. We employ the measured geometrical information in analytical micromechanical techniques in the small strain regime to determine, for the first time, estimates of the Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio of the microsphere shell material. Our results contribute to potential future improvements in the design and fabrication of syntactic foams that employ thermoplastic microspheres. Given the breadth of fields which utilise thermoplastic microspheres, we anticipate that our results, together with the methods used, will be of use in a much broader context in future materials research.
In this work authors present for the first time how to apply the additive-free, cured PDMS as a negative tone resist material, demonstrate the creation of PDMS microstructures and test the solvent resistivity of the created microstructures. The PDMS layers were 45 um and 100 um thick, the irradiations were done with a focused proton microbeam with various fluences. After irradiation, the samples were etched with sulfuric acid that removed the unirradiated PDMS completely but left those structures intact that received high enough fluences. The etching rate of the unirradiated PDMS was also determined. Those structures that received at least 7.5*10^15 ion*cm-2 fluence did not show any signs of degradation even after 19 hours of etching. As a demonstration, 45 um and 100 um tall, high aspect ratio, good quality, undistorted microstructures were created with smooth and vertical sidewalls. The created microstructures were immersed into numerous solvents and some acids to test their compatibility. It was found that the unirradiated PDMS cannot, while the irradiated PDMS microstructures can resist to chloroform, n-hexane, toluene and sulfuric acid. Hydrogen fluoride etches both the unirradiated and the irradiated PDMS.
Although, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is a widely used material in numerous applications, such as micro- or nanofabrication, the method of its selective etching has not been known up to now. In this work authors present two methods of etching the pure, additive-free and cured PDMS as a positive resist material. To achieve the chemical modification of the polymer necessary for selective etching, energetic ions were used. We created 7 um and 45 um thick PDMS layers and patterned them by a focused proton microbeam with various, relatively large fluences. In this paper authors demonstrate that 30 wt% Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) or 30 wt% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 70 oC temperature etch proton irradiated PDMS selectively, and remove the chemically sufficiently modified areas. In case of KOH development, the maximum etching rate was approximately 3.5 um/minute and it occurs at about 7.5*10^15 ion*cm-2. In case of NaOH etching the maximum etching rate is slightly lower, 1.75 um/minute and can be found at the slightly higher fluence of 8.75*10^15 ion*cm-2. These results are of high importance since up to this time it has not been known how to develop the additive-free, cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) in lithography as a positive tone resist material.
The controlled growth of carbon nitride (CN) films with tailored electronic properties and surface area is quite challenging due to the solid-state reaction and the lack of efficient interaction between C-N monomers and substrates. Herein, controlled growth of CN films over robust carbon nanotubes (CNT) fiber fabric is reported, which is obtained by either direct calcination of melamine on their surface, that yields a bulk material, or by its chemical vapor deposition resulting in hybrid films. These materials are effective electrodes consisting of high surface-area CN containing CNT fiber fabrics acting as a scaffold and a highly conducting built-in current collector. The results confirm that CNTs act as nucleation centers for the formation of CN films, forming close contact at the CN/CNT interphase, and resulting in efficient charge transfer upon illumination and enhanced electrochemical surface area.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
