Transfer of nanomembranes from solution to a solid frame via reflow of low surface tension liquids

Abstract

Nanomembranes represent a novel building block for nanosystems, characterized by a thickness below 100 nm and a giant aspect ratios. A typical procedure for nanomembrane fabrication starts from an ultrathin layer deposited on some kind of a sacrificial substrate. The nanomembrane is released by etching away the substrate, leaving the nanomembrane to freely float in the solvent. This solvent may be water or some other liquid. Many different types of nanomembranes can be made by this procedure, but only a limited number can survive the capillary forces during the extraction from solvent. In this paper we propose a novel, generally applicable method for freeing nanomembranes from the solvent via direct in-situ substitution of the solvent in meniscus with a low surface tension liquid. The proposed method ensures high production yields, is not very dependent on experimental skills, and avoids introduction of contaminants into the nanomembrane structure.