Multiplexed Dip-Pen Nanolithography: Addressing the Inking Challenge through Inkjet Printing and Template-Directed Drying of Inks

Keywords:
Dip-Pen Lithography, Inks

Abstract:
Multiplexed Dip-Pen Nanolithography, or the ability to simultaneously generate nanoarrays of structures made of different materials, promises to open new avenues for addressing a range of complex problems such as drug screening and human genome mapping. In this talk we discuss an approach to the multiplexed inking challenge. Specifically, we independently address pens within a 1D or 2D cantilever array with chemically distinct inks using an inkjet printer and introduce a surface modification strategy that directs the droplets of inks to the tips of the cantilevers. This method of ink delivery provides control over the ink transport rates and transforms DPN into a general nanofabrication tool that uniquely combines high throughput, high resolution, and multiplexing capabilities. This addressable and high resolution way of inking also allows us to study some interesting fundamental aspects of molecular transport in the context of DPN.

Nanotech 2008 Conference Program Abstract