Additive nanomanufacturing: a review

Additive manufacturing has provided a pathway for inexpensive and flexible manufacturing of specialized components and one-off parts. At the nanoscale, such techniques are less ubiquitous. Manufacturing at the nanoscale is dominated by lithography tools that are too expensive for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest in. Additive nanomanufacturing (ANM) empowers smaller facilities to design, create, and manufacture on their own while providing a wider material selection and flexible design. This is especially important as nanomanufacturing thus far is largely constrained to 2-dimensional patterning techniques and being able to manufacture in 3-dimensions could open up new concepts. In this review, we outline the state-of-the-art within ANM technologies such as electrohydrodynamic jet printing, dip-pen lithography, direct laser writing, and several single particle placement methods such as optical tweezers and electrokinetic nanomanipulation. The ANM technologies are compared in terms of deposition speed, resolution, and material selection and finally the future prospects of ANM are discussed. This review is up-to-date until April 2014

Controlled surface manipulation at the nanometer scale based on the atomic force microscope

The object of this thesis is the development of theoretical and experimental methods for the controlled manipulation of surfaces at the nanometer scale, including the design, construction and experimental demonstration of an atomic force microscope (AFM) based manipulator. The transfer function description of an AFM system not only offers a theoretical dynamic characterization but, additionally, it is appropriate for the analysis of stability and controllability of different system configurations, i.e. different inputs and outputs. In this thesis, transfer functions are derived that correspond to a realistic model of the AFM sensor, including all its resonance modes and the tip-sample interaction. This theoretical description is then validated using the frequency response along an AFM cantilever. Different experimental and control techniques have been combined in the NanoManipulator system to optimize AFM lithography. Optical video microscopy allows a fast recognition of the sample and exact positioning of the AFM tip in the particular region of interest, while UV-laser ablation offers the possibility of noncontact manipulation of a wide range of materials, including biological specimens. Two different control approaches have been implemented in the NanoManipulator system: (i) automated control using a vector-scan module, and (ii) interactive control based on the use of a haptic interface. Using the NanoManipulator, the two different standard AFM lithography techniques based on dynamic methods (namely dynamic and modulated plowing) are compared by performing nanopatterning on thin resist films. The results reflect that modulated plowing, where the AFM tip is in permanent contact with the resist surface while the force is being modulated, offers the highest reliability, minimizing undesired side effects. The isolation and extraction of localized regions of human metaphase chromosomes represents a promising alternative to standard methods for the analysis of genetic material. The NanoManipulator is an excellent tool for such application, as it is here illustrated by comparing AFM based mechanical dissection and noncontact ablation on side by side chromosomes. The results are analyzed in situ using AFM imaging, revealing the high precision of mechanical dissection. Acoustical force nanolithography is a novel method for AFM based lithography where the cantilever is actuated using an acoustic wave coupled through the sample surface. The influence of acoustic wave frequency and magnitude, along with the preloading force of the cantilever are studied in detail. Acoustical force nanolithography can be used as a stand alone method or as a complement for the fine adjustment of manipulation forces

Smart cantilever beams for nanomanipulation

A smart micro cantilever beam, consisting of an atomic force microscope probe bonded with a piezoelectric actuator, is proposed to enhance the ability of mechanical nanomanipulation. A precise three-section Euler-Bernoulli beam model is developed to describe the dynamics of the beam. The forced vibration solution of this model with respect to two independent inputs from the piezoelectric actuator and the base excitation is derived. Through the solution and the geometry relationship, the trajectory of the end of the tip is obtained from the motion of the free end of the AFM probe. Based on the resonant response from two harmonic inputs, nano-scale elliptical and linear tip trajectories are predicted at the second dynamic mode. Analytical and numerical studies show that the characteristics of the resulting trajectories are influenced by the magnitudes of the two inputs. The potential applications of the elliptical and linear trajectories for nanomanipulation are proposed

Recent patents in bionanotechnologies: nanolithography, bionanocomposites, cell-based computing and entropy production

Recent Patents on Nanotechnology, 2: pp. 1-7This article reviews recent disclosures of bio-inspired, bio-mimicked and bionanotechnologies. Among the patents discussed is a nanoscale porous structure for use in nanocomposites and nanoscale processing. Patents disclosing methods for printing biological materials using nanolithography techniques such as dip-pen technology are discussed, as are patents for optimizing drug design. The relevance of these technologies to disease prevention, disease treatment and disease resistance is discussed. The paper closes with a review of cell-based computing and a brief examination of how information technology has enabled the development of these technologies. Finally a forecast of the how these technologies are likely to accelerate global entropization is discussed as well as a new classification of machine types

Plasmon-mediated patterning of nanoparticles and biomolecules for functional nano-devices

Nanoscale components are taking over the current generation devices in the semiconductor, biomedical, energy, and display industries. The translation of novel nanoparticles and biomolecules into practical applications depends on their precise patterning on a substrate. However, it has remained challenging to manufacture complex structures at sub-micrometer resolution due to inherent technological barriers, such as ink-spreading, and long post-processing time. This dissertation presents the progress made towards plasmon-mediated immobilization at scales ranging from single-nanoparticle regime up to large-area patterning. We exploit the photothermal and photochemical effects arising from hot spots of plasmonic nanoparticles for immobilization. We explore multi-photon plasmonic photolithography (MPPL) for patterning at single NP resolution and introduce laser-induced bubble printing to achieve large-area patterning. In addition, we also demonstrate simultaneous synthesis and structuring of nanoparticles and nanoalloys using a laser-mediated micro-bubble reactor. We demonstrate immobilization of multiple materials including bovine-serum albumin (BSA) hydrogels, quantum dots, silver nanorings, and immiscible bimetallic alloys. The fabricated structures are used in applications such as emission-rate modification, surface enhanced spectroscopy, ultra-fast nucleation, and catalysis. The systems and methods developed in this work will aid in the realization of multi-functional substrates with tailored catalytic, optical, electronic, and magnetic functions.Materials Science and Engineerin

Verbesserung der Anwendbarkeit von organischen Leuchtdioden durch integrierte Nanostrukturen

The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a promising technology for a variety of applications, such as displays, large-area lighting, integrated sensing, smart packaging, and signage. OLEDs are thin-film devices comprising organic semiconductors, which allow for cost-efficient high-volume manufacturing using solution-based fabrications methods and therefore hold great potential towards disposable and recyclable electronic products. In this thesis, three different approaches to improve the applicability of OLEDs through integrated nanostructures are explored. Nanostructuring the carrier substrate's outside surface provides a way to enhance light extraction as well as customize tactile and visual device perception. Here, a polymer coating containing tetrapodal zinc oxide nanoparticles and color pigments is investigated with respect to surface roughness characteristics and optical properties. Electrical device properties can be altered by integrating nanostructures directly into the OLED semiconductor stack. In this work, periodic nanopatterning of a metal electrode is shown to improve charge injection into the organic semiconductor layer of a single-carrier device through local electric field enhancements. A current increase of up to 300 % is observed, exceeding the planar current injection limit and indicating a local transition to space charge limited operation. Integration of a photonic crystal slab into the waveguide formed by the OLED can also lead to resonant light outcoupling. Here, a fabrication method is presented to create two-dimensional nanogratings with variable grating designs in the commonly used electrode material indium tin oxide. Furthermore, a novel device structure is investigated in which a fluorescent nanopatterned waveguide is placed outside the OLED for directional light emission leading to sharp angle-dependent outcoupling peaks in the emission spectra

Development of novel micropneumatic grippers for biomanipulation

Microbjects with dimensions from 1 μm to 1 mm have been developed recently for different aspects and purposes. Consequently, the development of handling and manipulation tools to fulfil this need is urgently required. Micromanipulation techniques could be generally categorized according to their actuation method such as electrostatic, thermal, shape memory alloy, piezoelectric, magnetic, and fluidic actuation. Each of which has its advantage and disadvantage. The fluidic actuation has been overlooked in MEMS despite its satisfactory output in the micro-scale. This thesis presents different families of pneumatically driven, low cost, compatible with biological environment, scalable, and controllable microgrippers. The first family demonstrated a polymeric microgripper that was laser cut and actuated pneumatically. It was tested to manipulate microparticles down to 200 microns. To overcome the assembly challenges that arise in this family, the second family was proposed. The second family was a micro-cantilever based microgripper, where the device was assembled layer by layer to form a 3D structure. The microcantilevers were fabricated using photo-etching technique, and demonstrated the applicability to manipulate micro-particles down to 200 microns using automated pick-and-place procedure. In addition, this family was used as a tactile-detector as well. Due to the angular gripping scheme followed by the above mentioned families, gripping smaller objects becomes a challenging task. A third family following a parallel gripping scheme was proposed allowing the gripping of smaller objects to be visible. It comprises a compliant structure microgripper actuated pneumatically and fabricated using picosecond laser technology, and demonstrated the capability of gripping microobject as small as 100 μm microbeads. An FEA modelling was employed to validate the experimental and analytical results, and excellent matching was achieved

Factories of the Future

Engineering; Industrial engineering; Production engineerin