Subtractive offset printing for fabrication of sub micrometer scale electrodes with gold nanoparticles

In this paper, we propose a method of subtractive offset printing to fabricate fine sub micrometer scale patterns using an ink made of gold nanoparticles (NPs). We demonstrate the fabrication of electrodes (from 100 nm to 1 mu m in line width and 40 nm thick) using this technique, and characterize the fabricated patterns with other techniques. We confirmed the repeatability of the printing process on 150-mm-diameter wafers. On the basis of our results, we discuss the advantages of this method over the conventional microcontact printing method. We also investigated the contamination transferred from the stamp to the substrate during the printing process and its origin, and propose a model for the mechanism underlying the successful transfer of nanoparticles from the stamp to the substrate. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.