Review

Use of Thin Sectioning (Nanoskiving) to Fabricate Nanostructures for Electronic and Optical Applications

  1. Dr. Darren J. Lipomi1,
  2. Dr. Ramses V. Martinez1,
  3. Prof. George M. Whitesides1,2,*

Article first published online: 13 JUL 2011

DOI: 10.1002/anie.201101024

Issue

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Volume 50, Issue 37, pages 8566–8583, September 5, 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Lipomi, D. J., Martinez, R. V. and Whitesides, G. M. (2011), Use of Thin Sectioning (Nanoskiving) to Fabricate Nanostructures for Electronic and Optical Applications. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 50: 8566–8583. doi: 10.1002/anie.201101024

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA)

  2. 2

    Kavli Institute for Bionanoscience and Technology, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford St., Cambride, MA 02138 (USA)

*Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA)

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 1 SEP 2011
  2. Article first published online: 13 JUL 2011
  3. Manuscript Received: 10 FEB 2011

Funded by

  • National Science Foundation. Grant Number: PHY-0646094
  • Office of Naval Research. Grant Number: N0014-10-1-0942

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Keywords:

  • nanofabrication;
  • nanoskiving;
  • plasmonics;
  • soft lithography;
  • ultramicrotomy

Abstract

This Review discusses nanoskiving—a simple and inexpensive method of nanofabrication, which minimizes requirements for access to cleanrooms and associated facilities, and which makes it possible to fabricate nanostructures from materials, and of geometries, to which more familiar methods of nanofabrication are not applicable. Nanoskiving requires three steps: 1) deposition of a metallic, semiconducting, ceramic, or polymeric thin film onto an epoxy substrate; 2) embedding this film in epoxy, to form an epoxy block, with the film as an inclusion; and 3) sectioning the epoxy block into slabs with an ultramicrotome. These slabs, which can be 30 nm–10 μm thick, contain nanostructures whose lateral dimensions are equal to the thicknesses of the embedded thin films. Electronic applications of structures produced by this method include nanoelectrodes for electrochemistry, chemoresistive nanowires, and heterostructures of organic semiconductors. Optical applications include surface plasmon resonators, plasmonic waveguides, and frequency-selective surfaces.

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