In U.S. Patent 7,634,162, Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA) inventors Krzysztof J. Kempa, Michael J Naughton, Zhifeng Ren, and Jakub A. Rybczynski disclose apparatus and methods for nanolithography using nanoscale optics. Their discovery provides an inexpensive and effective solution for nanolithography that may both successfully and easily be used to create sub-micron structures
Submicron-scale structures may be obtained using standard photolithography systems with a de-magnifying lens. A de-magnifying lens for use in a standard photolithography system includes a film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of carbon nanotubes penetrating the film through cylindrical channels, wherein an image on the top surface of the film is converted into a de-magnified image on the bottom surface of the film by the carbon nanotubes.
Nano-optics is the study of optical interactions with matter on a subwavelength scale. Nano-optics has numerous applications in optical technologies such as nanolithography, optical data storage, photochemistry on a nanometer scale, solar cells, materials imaging and surface modification with subwavelength lateral resolution, local linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of biological and solid-state structures, quantum computing, quantum communication and optical networking.
Nanolithography is a method for the creation of nanoscale structures. Usually one creates a pattern of a desired nanostructure in a template material, and then uses this template to fabricate the nanostructure. Nanolithography can employ a computer controlled electron beam and an electron sensitive template material. Several other nanolithography techniques employ nanotools, like the scanning probe microscope (SPM) or atomic force microscope (ATM) to create the templates. However, these techniques are extremely expensive and slow.
The Boston College nanolithography de-magnifying lens has a metallic film with a top surface, a bottom surface and cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of nanorods penetrating the metallic film through the cylindrical channels, the array of nanorods having a protruding portion that extends beyond a surface of the metallic film and an embedded portion that is within the metallic film.
A de-magnifying lens for use in a standard photolithography system is comprised of: a film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of carbon nanotubes penetrating and converging through the film through the plurality of cylindrical channels, wherein an image on the top surface of the film is converted into a de-magnified image on the bottom surface of the film by the carbon nanotubes, wherein each carbon nanotube connects a light-receiving pixel on the top surface of the film with a light-emitting pixel on the bottom surface of the film, and wherein the light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are indirectly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by scrambled wiring through a nano-coaxial transmission line.
The portion that extends beyond the top surface of the film and the bottom surface of the film act as nano-optical antennas for receiving, transmitting, and re-emitting an optical signal. The de-magnifying lens forms the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film and compresses the optical signal into nanoscopic dimensions. The film acts as a nano-coaxial transmission line and converts energy trapped in currents along the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film into a manageable signal and allows for propagation of the optical signal with a wavelength exceeding a perpendicular dimension of the carbon nanotube through the nano-coaxial transmission line. Light from an optical signal is collected by the receiving pixel on the top surface of the film which excites the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film to transmit the light through the nano-coaxial transmission line to the nano-optical antenna on the bottom surface of the film and re-emit the light into the light-emitting pixel. The light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are directly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by direct wiring through the nano-coaxial transmission lines.
Nano-optics is the study of optical interactions with matter on a subwavelength scale. Nano-optics has numerous applications in optical technologies such as nanolithography, optical data storage, photochemistry on a nanometer scale, solar cells, materials imaging and surface modification with subwavelength lateral resolution, local linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of biological and solid-state structures, quantum computing, quantum communication and optical networking.
Nanolithography is a method for the creation of nanoscale structures. Usually one creates a pattern of a desired nanostructure in a template material, and then uses this template to fabricate the nanostructure. Nanolithography can employ a computer controlled electron beam and an electron sensitive template material. Several other nanolithography techniques employ nanotools, like the scanning probe microscope (SPM) or atomic force microscope (ATM) to create the templates. However, these techniques are extremely expensive and slow.
The Boston College nanolithography de-magnifying lens has a metallic film with a top surface, a bottom surface and cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of nanorods penetrating the metallic film through the cylindrical channels, the array of nanorods having a protruding portion that extends beyond a surface of the metallic film and an embedded portion that is within the metallic film.
A de-magnifying lens for use in a standard photolithography system is comprised of: a film having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of cylindrical channels containing a dielectric material; and an array of carbon nanotubes penetrating and converging through the film through the plurality of cylindrical channels, wherein an image on the top surface of the film is converted into a de-magnified image on the bottom surface of the film by the carbon nanotubes, wherein each carbon nanotube connects a light-receiving pixel on the top surface of the film with a light-emitting pixel on the bottom surface of the film, and wherein the light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are indirectly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by scrambled wiring through a nano-coaxial transmission line.
The portion that extends beyond the top surface of the film and the bottom surface of the film act as nano-optical antennas for receiving, transmitting, and re-emitting an optical signal. The de-magnifying lens forms the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film and compresses the optical signal into nanoscopic dimensions. The film acts as a nano-coaxial transmission line and converts energy trapped in currents along the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film into a manageable signal and allows for propagation of the optical signal with a wavelength exceeding a perpendicular dimension of the carbon nanotube through the nano-coaxial transmission line. Light from an optical signal is collected by the receiving pixel on the top surface of the film which excites the nano-optical antenna on the top surface of the film to transmit the light through the nano-coaxial transmission line to the nano-optical antenna on the bottom surface of the film and re-emit the light into the light-emitting pixel. The light-receiving pixels on the top surface of the film are directly mapped to the light-emitting pixels on the bottom surface of the film by direct wiring through the nano-coaxial transmission lines.
