Nanoelectrode lithography using a flat mold with a pattern defined by different conductivities

Nanoelectrode lithography is a pattern duplication method that combines nanoimprint with an electrochemical reaction. The method can form an oxide pattern directly on a semiconductor or metal. This method can use flat molds with patterns defined by substances with different conductivities, while the conventional nanoimprint technique must use a mold with a relief pattern. In this paper, the mold pattern for the technique is defined with an oxide material on the surface of a conductive substrate. Nanoelectrode lithography itself can be used to form a flat mold by using a conductive mold with a relief pattern, which leaves an oxide pattern via the anodic oxidation of Si. AFM lithography also can utilize an electrochemical reaction in the air to generate an oxide pattern on a conductive substrate, which gives us a flat mold. This paper shows that both types of flat mold can transfer a pattern to a target substrate. These strategies will allow us to realize on-demand mold fabrication, mold modification, and an easy way of obtaining a mold with a finer pattern.