Thermochemical nanolithography

Thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL) or thermochemical scanning probe lithography (tc-SPL) is a scanning probe microscopy-based nanolithography technique which triggers thermally activated chemical reactions to change the chemical functionality or the phase of surfaces. Chemical changes can be written very quickly through rapid probe scanning, since no mass is transferred from the tip to the surface, and writing speed is limited only by the heat transfer rate[citation needed]. TCNL was invented in 2007 by a group at the Georgia Institute of Technology.[1] Riedo and collaborators demonstrated that TCNL can produce local chemical changes with feature sizes down to 12 nm at scan speeds up to 1 mm/s.[1]

TCNL was used in 2013 to create a nano-scale replica of the Mona Lisa "painted" with different probe tip temperatures. Called the Mini Lisa, the portrait measured 30 micrometres (0.0012 in), about 1/25,000th the size of the original.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference TCNL-NL2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Eoin O'Carroll (August 7, 2013). "'Mini Lisa': Georgia Tech researchers create world's tiniest da Vinci reproduction". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  3. ^ Carroll, A.K. G.; Wang, D.; Kodali, V.; Scrimgeour, J.; King, W.; Marder, S.; Riedo, E.; Curtis, J. (2013). "Fabricating Nanoscale Chemical Gradients with ThermoChemicalNanoLithography". Langmuir. 29 (27): 8675–8682. doi:10.1021/la400996w. PMID 23751047.