Patterning and imaging of self-assembled monolayers with a focused soft X-ray beam

The scanning photoelectron microscopy (SPEM) setup has been utilized for patterning of thiol-derived self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and chemical imaging of the fabricated patterns. The advantage of this approach lies in its high flexibility, which opens new opportunities for the fabrication and characterization of monomolecular patterns. We briefly summarize in this paper our recent results with particular emphasis on the fabrication of multi-exposure and gradient patterns, and the tailored modification of functional groups.