Bottom-up assembly of structures on a substrate
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsTheresa S. Mayer, Christine D. Keating, Mingwei Li, Thomas Morrow, Jaekyun Kim
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Abstract
Examples of the present invention include methods of assembling structures, such as nanostructures, at predetermined locations on a substrate. A voltage between spaced-apart electrodes supported by substrate attracts the structures to the substrate, and positional registration can be provided the substrate using topographic features such as wells. Examples of the present invention also include devices, such as electronic and optoelectronic devices, prepared by such methods.
Claims29
A method of assembling structures at predetermined locations on a substrate surface, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate assembly, the substrate assembly having the substrate surface,
- the substrate assembly including spaced-apart electrodes, the spaced-apart electrodes including a pair of electrodes having an electrode gap therebetween,
- the pair of electrodes being covered by a dielectric layer,
- the substrate assembly further having topographic features, the topographic features being depressions in the substrate surface;
- exposing the substrate surface to a fluid suspension of the structures;
- and
- applying an alternating voltage between the spaced-apart electrodes so as to attract the structures towards the substrate surface,
- the topographic features locating the structures at the predetermined locations on the substrate surface,
- the alternating voltage inducing an electric field, the electric field having electric field gradients that preferentially attract the structures to the depressions in the substrate surface,
- the structures being centered relative to the electrode gap by electrostatic forces between the structures and the spaced-apart electrodes,
- positional registration of the structures on the substrate surface being provided by the topographic features.
A method of assembling a plurality of structures at predetermined locations on a substrate, the plurality of structures including at least a first structure species and a second structure species, the method comprising:
- providing the substrate, the substrate having a substrate surface and including a plurality of electrodes, the electrodes being located below the substrate surface and covered by a dielectric layer;
- exposing the substrate to a fluid suspension of the first structure species;
- applying a first alternating voltage to a first set of electrodes from the plurality of electrodes, so as to assemble the first structure species at a first set of predetermined locations,
- the first set of predetermined locations being defined by a first set of depressions in the substrate surface;
- exposing the substrate to a fluid suspension of the second structure species;
- and
- applying a second alternating voltage to a second set of electrodes from the plurality of electrodes, so as to assemble the second structure species at a second set of predetermined locations,
- the second set of predetermined locations being defined by a second set of depressions in the surface,
- thereby assembling the plurality of structures at predetermined locations on the substrate,
- positional registration of the first structure species being provided by the first set of topographic features,
- positional registration of the second structure species being provided by the second set of topographic features.
A method of assembling structures at predetermined locations on a substrate surface, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate, the substrate having the substrate surface,
- the substrate including spaced-apart electrodes, the spaced-apart electrodes including a pair of electrodes with an electrode gap therebetween,
- the pair of electrodes being buried below the substrate surface by a dielectric layer,
- the substrate further having topographic features, the topographic features being depressions in the substrate surface,
- the depressions being formed in a sacrificial dielectric layer;
- exposing the substrate to a fluid suspension of the structures;
- applying an electric field between the spaced-apart electrodes so as to attract the structures towards the substrate,
- the topographic features locating the structures at the predetermined locations, so as to assemble the structures at the predetermined locations;
- and
- selectively removing the sacrificial dielectric layer, leaving the structures located at the predetermined locations,
- the substrate including electronic components, the structures being in electrical communication with the electronic components after assembly at the predetermined locations,
- the positional accuracy of assembled structures relative to at least one electronic component being less than 1 micron.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.