Metallic wires and particles were directed to simultaneously assemble on a surface by manipulating a fluid instability1. This approach is compatible with existing nanoelectronics fabrication infrastructure and enables the rapid and simultaneous formation of nanostructures in both wire and particle forms, derived from a common initial film strip. The current work is based on a precise understanding of the nanosecond evolution of competing stable and unstable fluid surface waves along a common fluid stream. This feat was accomplished by imposing nonlinear, nanoscale perturbations on solid phase metallic films, prior to melting, with the guidance of a linearized, hydrodynamic prediction of stability. Combining the formation of particles and wires in one laser irradiation step, using a single film strip, overcomes limitations of conventional lithography methods that are limited to producing film strips (as idealized wires) and thin cylindrical pucks (as idealized particles) at the actual dimensions required. This is now achieved by properly initializing a fluid stream to transform an initial geometry into the desired wire or particle. The results of this study show that the combination of numerical predictions and controlled materials processing can bring the dream of single step, parallel self-assembly closer to reality.
For more information, please contact Jason Fowlkes, [email protected]
J. D. Fowlkes, L. Kondic, J. A. Diez, A. G. Gonzalez, Y. Wu, N. A. Roberts, C. E. McCold, and P. D. Rack, “Parallel assembly of particles and wires on substrates by dictating instability evolution in liquid metal films,” Nanoscale 4, 7376 (2012).