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Soft Lithography of Ceramic Patterns
Author(s) -
Göbel O. F.,
Nedelcu M.,
Steiner U.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200600783
Subject(s) - materials science , epitaxy , ceramic , lithography , amorphous solid , crystallite , soft lithography , annealing (glass) , resist , polymer , optoelectronics , composite material , nanotechnology , layer (electronics) , crystallography , metallurgy , fabrication , medicine , chemistry , alternative medicine , pathology
Abstract Polymer‐based precursor solutions are patterned using a soft‐lithographic patterning technique to yield sub‐micrometer‐sized ceramic patterns. By using a polymer–metal‐nitrate solution as a lithographic resist, we demonstrate a micromolding procedure using a simple rubber stamp that yields a patterned precursor layer. A subsequent high‐temperature annealing step degrades the polymer giving rise to a patterned metal oxide film. This procedure is demonstrated for three different ceramic materials: Al 2 O 3 , ZnO, and PbTiO 3 . Al 2 O 3 initially forms an amorphous phase that is subsequently converted into a polycrystalline material upon electron irradiation. The formed ZnO and PbTiO 3 are polycrystalline. PbTiO 3 exhibits epitaxial alignment when cast onto a SrTiO 3 (001) surface that matches its lattice periodicity. This epitaxial alignment is maintained when the PbTiO 3 phase is patterned by micromolding, giving rise to epitaxially grown PbTiO 3 patterns with feature sizes down to 300 nm.