Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications
Fabricating ordered 2-D nano-structured arrays using nanosphere lithography
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Volume
4
Journal
MethodsX
First Page
229
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1016/j.mex.2017.07.001
Last Page
242
Abstract
Recent advances in the use of plasmonic metamaterials to improve absorption of light in thin-film solar photovoltaic devices has created a demand for a scalable method of patterning large areas with metal nanostructures deposited in an ordered array. This article describes two methods of fabricating ordered 2D nanosphere colloidal films: spin coating and interface coating. The two methods are compared and parameter optimization discussed. The study reveals that: • For smaller nanosphere sizes, spin coating is more favorable, while for larger nanospheres, the angled interface coating provides more coverage and uniformity.• A surfactant-free approach for interface coating is developed to fabricate zero-contamination colloidal films.• Each of the methods reaches an overall coverage of more than 90% and can be used for nanosphere lithography to form plasmonic metamaterials.