Intellectual Property Office
Non-Confidential Disclosures
“Controlled-Height Nano-and Micro-Structures on Glass and Coated Glass Materials”
PSU Inv. Disc. No 1961
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Field of the Invention/Keywords:
Nanotechnology -Lithography, Patterning, Electron beam
Inventors:
Stephen Fonash, A. Kaan Kalkan
Links:
US Patent 6,627,842
Inventor Website
Background:
Microarrays of structures physically protruding from a planar surface have uses in biology, optics, displays, and printing. Previous methods of fabricating such arrays add material (which introduces contaminants to the substrate; e.g., lithography) or subtract it (which wastes much of the substrate; e.g., laser processing). There is a need for an improved method for fabricating features which protrude from silicon dioxide surfaces, features that retain the transparency and characteristics of the underlying substrate. Such features may be used to create finely pointed emission sources, as well as barriers between adjacent pixel sites in flat-panel displays.
Invention description:
The method of the invention yields features which protrude from a glass layer. Initially a conductive layer is applied to the glass layer and is coupled to a source of reference potential. An electron beam is thereafter directed at the combined layers where protruding features are desired, to create a softened region within the glass layer. Such softening causes a protruding feature to appear on the surface of the glass layer.
Advantages:
- Less waste of substrate
- Heights and shapes of structures are uniform
- Positioning with nanoscale precision
Contact:
Mr. Richard M. Weyer
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 865-6279
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail: rmw4@psu.edu |
