Combinatorial generation and analysis of nanometer- and micrometer-scale silicon features via `dip-pen' nanolithography and wet chemical etching

Dip-pin nanolithography (DPN), a soft lithographic technique that utilize an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip to `write' molecules onto substrates, was used to deposit monolayer-based resists with micrometer to sub-100 nm dimensions on the surfaces of Au/Ti/Si trilayer substrates. Wet chemical etchants were used to remove the unprotected substrate layers, resulting in three-dimensional solid-state features with comparable dimensions. Dip-pin nanolithography has the potential to serve as an alternative to the complicated and more expensive hard lithography techniques.