239 한국표면공학회지 J. Korean Inst. Surf. Eng. Vol. 52, No. 5, 2019. https://doi.org/10.5695/JKISE.2019.52.5.239 <연구논문> ISSN 1225-8024(Print) ISSN 2288-8403(Online) 내장형 정전용량 근접 센서를 이용한 다중 팁 기반 패턴 인쇄 한윤수 * 한국세라믹기술원 엔지니어링세라믹센터 Arrayed Tip based Pattern Lithography with Built-in Capacitive Proximal Leveling Sensor Yoonsoo Han * Engineering Ceramic Center, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (Icheon), Gyeonggi-do 17303, Korea (Received 22 October, 2019 ; revised 27 October, 2019 ; accepted 29 October, 2019) Abstract To increase the throughput of tip-based nanolithography (TBN), one approach is to use a large array of such tips working in parallel. It is important to maintain co-planarity between the tip array and the writing surface. A slight misalignment can cause large discrepancies of contact force and feature sizes. We report a capacitive proximity sensor built-in with the TBN array for leveling an arrayed polymer pen array. The device allows alignment between an array of writing tips and the writing substrate without contact and con- tamination. The angular sensitivity of the sensor is 0.05 for an array with maximum tip-to-tip separation of 100 mm. Keywords: capacitive, leveling, lithography, arrayed tip, polymer pen 1. Introduction Scanning probe-based nanolithography has been under development for the past three decades [1-7]. In 1999, dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) was invented by Mirkin and co-workers [8]. In the DPN method, molecules are transferred from sharp scanning probe tips to writing surfaces via water meniscus, resulting in features that can be as small as a few nanometers. While a single DPN pen has only limited throughput, the writing speed can be significantly increased with arrays of DPN probes. Both one-dimensional and two dimensional arrays of DPN probes have been developed [9-13] to increase throughput and complexity of nanoscale patterning. The DPN is a representative of the broadly defined tip based nanolithography (TBN) family, which provides unique patterning capabilities for nano materials and biomaterials. Conventional DPN probes have been made of hard materials such as silicon [14] and silicon nitride [15]. They are attached to cantilevers serving as springs. The cantilever surface is also used for optical feedback to measure position and detect contact event with the writing surface. Of necessity, the cantilever must have sufficient length in order to provide desired spring constant – therefore the presence of the spring limits how closely the scanning tips can be packed. Lately it has been demonstrated that scanning probes can also be made of elastomers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) * Corresponding Author: Yoonsoo Han Engineering Ceramic Center, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology Tel: +82-31-645-1457 ; Fax: +82-31-645-1492 E-mail: corundum69@kicet.re.kr