Fabrication of Nanostructured Surfaces Using Self-Assembled Monolayers

 We describe a new method for 3 dimensional nanostructuring on silicon surfaces using self-assembled monolayers. Partial multilayers were formed by repeated deposition of trichlorosilylheptadecanoic acid methyl ester (TSHEME) and subsequent reduction to yield a hydroxylic surface. These structures were afterwards oxidised using UV/ozone, yielding silicon oxide features. In this way both organic multilayered structures as well as ones comprised of silicon oxide have been produced with precise control of the height and invariant lateral shape of these structures. We have tried to apply samples prepared in this fashion to the calibration of AFM-scanners in vertical direction. Due to height artefacts caused by the tip-sample interaction a general calibration is not possible on the molecular scale. However, the structures produced can be used as model systems for the investigation of various sources of height artefacts and also for calibration purposes as long as samples with similar chemical and mechanical properties are to be investigated.