Nanoscale Inking, Melting, and Soldering With a Heated Atomic Force Microscope Cantilever Tip

Thermal dip pen nanolithography (tDPN) is a nanolithography technique that leverages previous advances in dip pen nanolithography and the design and fabrication of heated atomic force microscope cantilevers. In tDPN a heated atomic force microscope cantilever tip deposits high-melting temperature materials from the tip onto a surface. This technique is distinct from conventional DPN in that the ink molecules are not mobile at room temperature, allowing local control of deposition allowing the tip to be used for metrology of written features without contamination. tDPN represents an advancement in nanometer-scale lithography and manufacturing, which could enable the rapid prototyping and economical manufacture of nanodevices.