镁合金表面微结构阵列的电化学微加工

研究了镁合金的约束刻蚀微加工方法. 通过对电解过程中电极表面氢离子浓度变化以及刻蚀体系对镁合金的腐蚀速率的测量与分析, 对一些可能有刻蚀作用的刻蚀体系进行了研究. 选用亚硝酸钠作为产生刻蚀剂(硝酸)的前驱体、氢氧化钠作为捕捉剂、少量硅酸钠作为缓蚀剂的约束刻蚀体系, 使用具有规整三维微立方体点阵结构的模板, 在金属镁表面加工出具有与模板互补特性的点阵微结构, 复制加工的分辨率为亚微米级. 并对刻蚀过程机理进行了探讨与分析.     

镍表面三维微图形的复制加工

运用约束刻蚀剂层技术(CELT)在金属镍(Ni)表面实现三维微图形加工,以规整的三维齿状微结构作模板,获得可有效CELT加工的化学刻蚀和捕捉体系,在Ni表面得到了与齿状结构互补的三维微结构并应用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)表征刻蚀图案,证实CELT可用于金属表面Ni的三维微图形刻蚀加工．     

金属铜表面的三维齿状图形的化学微加工

金属铜表面的三维齿状图形的化学微加工;约束刻蚀剂层技术(CELT);化学刻蚀     

约束刻蚀剂层技术对金属铝的微结构加工研究

采用约束刻蚀剂层技术, 以亚硝酸钠为先驱物, 通过电化学氧化产生刻蚀剂(硝酸)刻蚀铝, 并以NaOH为捕捉剂, 在电极模板上形成约束刻蚀剂层. 在金属铝表面加工出梯型槽微结构, 加工分辨率约为500 nm. 通过测量表面氢离子浓度, 对捕捉剂的约束效果进行了分析.     

用规整膜板对砷化镓的三维微结构图形加工刻蚀

以微齿轮图形结构作为规整模板 ,用约束刻蚀剂层技术对GaAs样品表面进行了加工刻蚀 .在有捕捉剂H3AsO3存在的情况下 ,规则微齿轮图形能够很好地在样品表面复制 .刻蚀结果与没有捕捉剂存在时的刻蚀结果做了比较 .另外还测试了不同方法制得膜板的性能 ,初步探讨了电化学模板的制作工艺 .     

不同类型GaAs上应用约束刻蚀剂层技术进行电化学微加工

应用约束刻蚀剂层技术(CELT)对GaAs进行电化学微加工. 研究了刻蚀溶液体系中各组成的浓度比例、GaAs类型、掺杂以及阳极腐蚀过程对GaAs刻蚀加工过程的影响. 循环伏安实验表明, Br-可以通过电化学反应生成Br2作为刻蚀剂, L-胱氨酸可作为有效的捕捉剂. CELT中刻蚀剂层被紧紧束缚于模板表面, 模板和工件之间的距离小于刻蚀剂层的厚度时, 刻蚀剂可以对GaAs进行加工. 利用表面具有微凸半球阵列的导电模板, 可以在不同类型GaAs上加工得到微孔阵列. 实验结果表明: 在相同刻蚀条件下, GaAs的加工分辨率与刻蚀体系中各组分的浓度比例有关, 刻蚀结构的尺寸随着刻蚀剂与捕捉剂浓度比的增加而增大; 在加工过程中, p-GaAs相对于n-GaAs和无掺杂GaAs受到阳极氧化过程的影响较为显著, p-GaAs表面易生成氧化物层, 影响电化学微加工过程. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和极化曲线实验也证明了这一点.     

电化学微/纳加工分辨率的影响因素及对策

The etching resolution of electrochemical fabrication technique is influenced significantly by the diffusion layer of the etchant. It has been shown that a fast etching rate can achieve higher etching resolution due to so-called heterogeneous scavenging effect, while a lower etching rate will result in rather lower etching resolution. For the latter case, the confined etchant layer technique(CELT) has been employed to improve the etching resolution. i. e., a certain redox couple which can consume the etchant homogeneously and rapidly was added to the solution. The homogeneous scavenging effect confined the etchant within a narrow layer around the electrode surface and much improved etching resolution was achieved. Using the CELT and a needle-shaped microelectrode, an etching spot of several micro-meters was obtained at silicon wafer surface.     

The role of the etchant ion in the formation and growth of pores in silicon during its etching in hydrofluoric acid solutions

The role of the etchant ion (HF₂)^– in the formation of pores in silicon during its etching in hydrofluoric acid solutions has been elucidated. The pore shape, size, and orientation in (100) and (111) silicon substrates have been explained by specific features of the etchant ion (HF₂)^–.     

Colloidal lithographic nanopatterning via reactive ion etching

We report here a novel colloidal lithographic approach to the fabrication of nonspherical colloidal particle arrays with a long-range order by selective reactive ion etching (RIE) of multilayered spherical colloidal particles. First, layered colloidal crystals with different crystal structures (or orientations) were self-organized onto substrates. Then, during the RIE, the upper layer in the colloidal multilayer acted as a mask for the lower layer and the resulting anisotropic etching created nonspherical particle arrays and new patterns. The new patterns have shapes that are different from the original as a result of the relative shadowing of the RIE process by the top layer and the lower layers. The shape and size of the particles and patterns were dependent on the crystal orientation relative to the etchant flow, the number of colloidal layers, and the RIE conditions. The various colloidal patterns can be used as masks for two-dimensional (2-D) nanopatterns. In addition, the resulting nonspherical particles can be used as novel building blocks for colloidal photonic crystals.     

The coupling effect of slow-rate mechanical motion on the confined etching process in electrochemical mechanical micromachining

By introducing the mechanical motion into the confined etchant layer technique (CELT), we have developed a promising ultra-precision machining method, termed as electrochemical mechanical micromachining (ECMM), for producing both regular and irregular three dimensional (3D) microstructures. It was found that there was a dramatic coupling effect between the confined etching process and the slow-rate mechanical motion because of the concentration distribution of electrogenerated etchant caused by the latter. In this article, the coupling effect was investigated systemically by comparing the etchant diffusion, etching depths and profiles in the non-confined and confined machining modes. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation model was proposed to analyze the diffusion variations during the ECMM process, which is well verified by the machining experiments. The results showed that, in the confined machining mode, both the machining resolution and the perpendicularity tolerance of side faces were improved effectively. Furthermore, the theoretical modeling and numerical simulations were proved valuable to optimize the technical parameters of the ECMM process.     

A comparative study on electrochemical micromachining of n-GaAs and p-Si by using confined etchant layer technique

The confined etchant layer technique has been applied to achieve effective three-dimensional (3D) micromachining on n-GaAs and p-Si. This technique operates via an indirect electrochemical process and is a maskless, low-cost technique for microfabrication of arbitrary 3D structures in a single step. Br(2) was electrogenerated at the mold surface and used as an efficient etchant for n-GaAs and p-Si; l-cystine was used as a scavenger, for both substrates. The resolution of the fabricated microstructure depended strongly on the composition of the electrolyte, and especially on the concentration ratio of l-cystine to Br(-). A well-defined, polished Pt microcylindrical electrode was employed to examine the deviation of the size of the etched spots from the real diameter of the microelectrode. The thickness of the confined etchant layer can be estimated, and thus the composition of the electrolyte can be optimized for better etching precision. The etched patterns were approximately negative copies of the mold, and the precision of duplication could reach the micrometer level for p-Si and the submicrometer level for n-GaAs. Although the same etchant (Br(2)) and scavenger (l-cystine) were used in the etching solutions for GaAs and Si, the etching process, or mechanism, is completely different in the two cases. Compared with the fast etching process on GaAs in an etching solution with a concentration ratio of 3:1 of l-cystine to Br(-), the concentration ratio needs to be 50:1 for etching of Si. For the micromachining of Si, the addition of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, CTACl) is necessary to reduce the surface tension of the substrate and hence reduce the influence of evolution of the byproduct H(2). The function of the surfactant CTACl in comparison with an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) was studied in contact-angle experiments and micromachining experiments and then is discussed in detail.     

A model of the mechanism of the chemical interaction of the etchant ion (HF<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Superscript>–</Superscript> with silicon during its electrochemical etching in hydrofluoric acid solutions

A model was proposed for the mechanism of the chemical interaction of the etchant ion (HF₂)^– with silicon during its electrochemical etching, which explains the possibility of porous silicon etching in the dark and the formation of hydride and hydroxyl groups on the silicon surface.     

Fabrication of nanostructured silicon by metal-assisted etching and its effects on matrix-free laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

A matrix-free, high sensitivity, nanostructured silicon surface assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) method fabricated by metal-assisted etching was investigated. Effects of key process parameters, such as etching time, substrate resistance and etchant composition, on the nanostructured silicon formation and its LDI-MS efficiency were studied. The results show that the nanostructured silicon pore depth and size increase with etching time, while MS ion intensity increases with etching time to 300 s then decreases until 600 s for both low resistance (0.001–0.02 Ω cm) and high resistance (1–100 Ω cm) silicon substrates. The nanostructured silicon surface morphologies were found to directly affect the LDI-MS signal ion intensity. By characterizing the nanostructured silicon surface roughness using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and sample absorption efficiency using fluorescence microscopy, it was further demonstrated that the nanostructured silicon surface roughness was highly correlated to the LDI-MS performance.     

Microstructure and electrical properties of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and (Ba,Sr)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films on nickel electrodes

Nickel thin films have been sputtered on standard Si/SiO₂ substrates with TiO₂ as an adhesive layer. The thermal stability of these substrates was analyzed. SEM images show an increase in grain size with annealing temperature. They were found to be stable till 800°C, beyond which the nickel layer disintegrated. These substrates were used for deposition of BaTiO₃ and (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ dielectric thin films under a reducing atmosphere. The dielectric thin films were processed with various pyrolysis and annealing temperatures in order to optimize the dielectric properties. Increased pyrolysis temperatures showed an increase in the grain size. Results on these nickelised substrates were finally compared with dielectric films deposited on platinized silicon substrates under identical conditions but crystallized in an oxygen atmosphere.     

Two-dimensional ordered arrays of aligned lipid tubules on substrates with microfluidic networks

Microfluidic networks is a powerful tool for aligning one-dimensional materials over a large area on solid substrates. Here we show that lipid nano- and microtubules can be assembled into two-dimensional (2-D) parallel arrays with controlled separations by combining fluidic alignment with dewetting, which occurs within microchannels. We also demonstrate that lipid tubules can be bent into a well-defined shape at the entrance of the channels by the capillary force. Atomic force microscopy is used to study the structure and stability of the aligned lipid tubules on substrates. The deposition experiments with silica colloidal particles show that the 2-D parallel-aligned tubules can be used as a template to synthesize silica films with controlled morphologies and patterns on substrates in a single-step process.     

Template-assisted patterning of nanoscale self-assembled monolayer arrays on surfaces

We report a general, simple, and inexpensive approach to pattern features of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon and gold surfaces using porous anodic alumina films as templates. The SAM patterns, with feature sizes down to 30 nm and densities higher than 10(10)/cm(2), can be prepared over large areas (>5 cm(2)). The feature dimensions can be tuned by controlling the alumina template structure. These SAM patterns have been successfully used as resists for fabricating gold and silicon nanoparticle arrays on substrates by wet-chemical etching. In addition, we show that arrays of gold features can be patterned with 10-nm gaps between the dots.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Regio‐ and Enantioselective Addition of Silicon Grignard Reagents to Alkenes Activated by Azaaryl Groups

A new application of silicon Grignard reagents in C(sp³)?Si bond formation is reported. With the aid of BF₃?OEt₂, these silicon nucleophiles add across alkenes activated by various azaaryl groups under copper catalysis. An enantioselective version employing benzoxazole‐activated alkenes as substrates and a CuI‐josiphos complex as catalyst has been developed, forming the C(sp3)?Si bond with good to high enantiomeric ratios (up to 97:3). The method expands the toolbox for “conjugate addition” type C(sp³)?Si bond formation.     

Influence of powder preparation process on piezoelectric properties of PZT sol-gel composite thick films

In this work, piezoelectric PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃ (PZT) thick films were deposited onto silicon and alumina substrates using sol-gel composite slurry. Thick films prepared with rough and attrited powders are compared. A time stable polymeric PZT sol was first synthesised as the binder. It was then used as a precursor for PZT powder fabrication. Powder attrition ball milling was optimised to reduce the particles size to 200 nm. Composite slurries were obtained by mixing PZT sol with attrited or rough powders and thick films were deposited by dip-coating. The film thickness, roughness and microstructure were studied as a function of powder content, particle size, sol concentration and slurry ageing. Electromechanical measurements were performed. By strictly controlling each step of the thick film fabrication, high coupling factor (thickness mode, k_t) can be obtained using both types of powder. Nevertheless, with attrited powder, better and more reproducible effective coupling coefficients in thickness mode (k_t up to 46%) were reported on silicon and alumina substrates.     

Structure and electrical properties of Pb(Zr<Subscript>0.25</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.75</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films on LaNiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>—Coated thermally oxidized Si substrates

Pb(Zr_0.25Ti_0.75)O₃ (PZT25) thin films were prepared on LaNiO₃-coated thermally oxidized silicon substrates by chemical solution deposition method, where LaNiO₃ electrodes were also prepared by a chemical solution deposition technique. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the PZT25 thin films were 570 and 0.057, respectively. The remanent polarization and coercive field were 20.11 μC/cm² and 60.7 kV/cm, respectively. The PZT25 thin films on LaNiO₃-coated thermally oxidized silicon substrates showed improved fatigue characteristics compared with their counterparts on plantium-coated silicon substrates.     

One-dimensional SAMs of (12-pyrrol-1-yl-dodecyl)-phosphonic acid templated by polyelectrolyte molecules

We present a novel method for the fabrication of one-dimensional (1-D) self-assembled monolayers and multilayers (SAMs) of (12-pyrrol-1-yl-dodecyl)-phosphonic acid (Py-DPA) on various polar surfaces using polyelectrolyte nanostructures as positive templates. Particularly, we demonstrate that (i) patterns of aligned 1-D polycation structures on a poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamp can be prepared by moving a droplet of polycation solution along the surface; (ii) these patterns can be used as templates for the ordered assembly of Py-DPA in water where Py-DPA carries a charge opposite to the charge of the template; and (iii) Py-DPA SAMs can then be transferred onto mica or silicon wafers by a printing process. These nanostructures with a polymerizable pyrrole headgroup might be useful for the creation of electrically conductive patterns of conjugated polymers.