TEM modes of nanowire arrays for use in photolithography

A nanowire array for axially-propagating TEM modes useful in lithography comprising:

• a nanowire array of nanowires in two classes, where nanowires of a first class have only nearest neighbors of a second class;
• where said nanowires in said first class are charged to a predetermined voltage of a first polarity and said nanowires in said second class are charged to a predetermined voltage of an opposite polarity, where the predetermined voltages are substantially the same at both polarities;
• and
• coupling a nearest neighbor pair of nanowires, where the nanowires of the pair belong to opposite bipartite classes of the array.

A photolithography apparatus comprising:

• a light source;
• a nanowire array of nanowires in two classes, where nanowires of a first class have only nearest neighbors of a second class;
• where said nanowires in said first class are charged to a predetermined voltage of a first polarity and said nanowires in said second class are charged to a predetermined voltage of an opposite polarity, where the predetermined voltages are substantially the same at both polarities;
• coupling a nearest neighbor pair of nanowires, where the nanowires of the pair belong to opposite bipartite classes of the array;
• photoresist disposed between said nanowire array and a specimen so that when said nanowire array is exposed to light, said photoresist will be etched in said photoresist at a location corresponding to the location in the array where there is the coupled pair of nanowires.

A method of performing lithography comprising the steps of:

• providing a nanowire array of nanowires in two classes, where nanowires of a first class have only nearest neighbors of a second class;
• where said nanowires in said first class are charged to a predetermined voltage of a first polarity and said nanowires in said second class are charged to a predetermined voltage of an opposite polarity, where the predetermined voltages are substantially the same at both polarities;
• coupling a nearest neighbor pair of nanowires, where the nanowires of the pair belong to opposite bipartite classes of the array;
• disposing photoresist in proximity to said nanowire array;
• illuminating said nanowire array with light for causing the photoresist to be etched at a location corresponding to the location of the in the array where there is the coupled pair of nanowires.