Nanopatterning and self-assembly in Microsystems: An overview

Abstract

For the further development of micro- and nanotechnology, it is offundamental importance that it is possible to fabricate structureswith dimensions and distances on the nanometer scale with high yieldand small manufacturing tolerances for diverse applicationsincluding devices with high aspect ratio as well as for a wide rangeof different materials. In general, the aim is to produce or deposittwo- or three-dimensional structures in or on top of a layer. On theone hand, it should be possible to transfer structures designed inthe form of geometric patterns (layout), either by using masks,stamps or templates, or masklessly direct writing. However nanoscalestructures can also be produced with a completely different approachby self-organization. In this case, the information for theformation of structures is already contained in the material. In this chapter,various approaches are presented for producing nanoscale structuresusing both nanopatterning and self-assembly.