Printhead with nanotips for nanoscale printing and manufacturing
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsPeter J. Nystrom, Andrew W. Hays, Bijoyraj Sahu
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Abstract
A nanoprinthead including an array of nanotip cantilevers, where each nanotip cantilever includes a nanotip at an end of a cantilever, and a method for forming the nanoprinthead. Each nanotip may be individually addressable through use of an array of piezoelectric actuators. Embodiments for forming a nanoprinthead including an array of nanotip cantilevers can include an etching process from a material such as a silicon wafer, or the formation of a metal or dielectric nanotip cantilever over a substrate. The nanoprinthead may operate to provide uses for technologies such as dip-pen nanolithography, nanomachining, and nanoscratching, among others.
Claims14
A method for forming a nanoprinthead comprising a nanotip cantilever array including a plurality of nanotip cantilevers, the method comprising:
- forming a patterned first mask comprising a first pattern over a surface of a substrate;
- etching a plurality of grooves within the surface of the substrate using the patterned first mask as a pattern, and removing the patterned first mask;
- forming a nanotip cantilever layer within the plurality of grooves and over the surface of the substrate, wherein the forming of the nanotip cantilever layer forms a plurality of nanotip cantilevers each comprising a nanotip within one of the plurality of grooves and a cantilever over the surface of the substrate, wherein the plurality of nanotip cantilevers are physically interconnected;
- etching the nanotip cantilever layer to separate the plurality of nanotip cantilevers that are physically interconnected into a plurality of discrete nanotip cantilevers and to form the nanotip cantilever array;
- attaching the nanotip cantilever array to an array of actuation devices, wherein the array of actuation devices is configured to move each nanotip in a direction toward a surface to be contacted by the nanotip, and each nanotip cantilever of the nanotip cantilever array is individually addressable;
- and
- releasing the plurality of discrete nanotip cantilevers from the substrate.
A method for forming an electrical circuit, comprising:
- applying a voltage to at least one piezoelectric element of a piezoelectric element array to contact a surface with a nanotip that is part of a nanotip cantilever array of a nanoprinthead;
- and
- transferring a material from the at least one nanotip to the surface through physical contact between the material and the surface.
A nanoprinthead, comprising;
- a plurality of nanotip cantilevers, wherein each nanotip cantilever comprises a nanotip connected to a cantilever;
- a flexible diaphragm, wherein the plurality of nanotip cantilevers are physically connected to a first side of the flexible diaphragm;
- and
- a plurality of piezoelectric elements physically connected to a second side of the flexible diaphragm, and configured to move each nanotip in a direction toward a surface to be contacted by the nanotip upon activation of one of the plurality of piezoelectric elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.