Sub micrometer ceramic structures fabricated by molding a polymer-derived ceramic

This paper describes the fabrication of sub micrometer silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) ceramic structures. The method consists in replicating silicon micro/nanostructures in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), followed by a micro/nano molding of liquid polymer derived ceramic precursor (PDC). A dense ceramic SiCO replicated structure is obtained. In order to replicate the original structures with the highest fidelity possible, we applied a combination of coatings on the PDMS mold, in order to improve both filling and releasing. It was possible to fabricate reproducibly arrays of ceramic tips with a radius of 120 nm. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.