Micro/Nanoscale Structure Fabrication by Direct Nanoimprinting of Metallic and Semiconducting Nanoparticles

In this paper, we present our recent development of direct nanoimprinting of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles for a simple but high-throughput fabrication of micro/nanoscale structures. Nanoparticle suspension with self-assembled-monolayer (SAM) protected-nanoparticles (Au, Ag, and CdSe-ZnS core-shell quantum dots) suspended in alpha-terpineol carrier solvent are used as solutions for direct nanoimprinting. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based soft imprinting molds with micro/nanoscale features are used. Process and material flexibility enable a very low temperature (80°C) and low pressure (5psi) nanoimprinting process and results in superfine features from micrometers down to ∼100nm resolutions. We will show the geometrical and electrical characterization of nanoimprinted structures and demonstrate working electronic components such as resistors or organic field effect transistors (OFET).